



(«^C';<iP 






CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 



AT 



HAM P STEAD, N. I 



ISM. 



I ; 



I- 









=Svf©,:^<T» 






.<( 




(toss. 

liddk 



F44 



SMITIISOXI.VN IIHI'OSIT. 



ADDRESS ^/^ 



DELIVERED JULY 4TH, 1849^ 



THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 



II\ CORPORATION OF THE TO^VN OF 

HAMPSTEAD, N. H. 
BY ISAAC W. SMITH. 



MANCHESTER, N.H.: 

AMERICAN OFFICE — JAMES 0. ADAMS, PRINTElt. 

1849. 






^ 



CORRECTIONS. 

bI'3'lT^^' .^f^^"* the words spirit land, read as follows .'-to nndl 
himself left almost alone, to mourn their departure, and to witness th^ 
exungmshment of the "objects of the. arSent hopes aud h^TJt 

p. 39, line 23. For reigns, read reins, 

p. 41, line 15. Erase the before cannons. 

p. 40, hne 39. For btlls, read the church bell. 

p. 79, line 2. For JV. Y., read M J. 

p. 82, line 10. For 40» 53', read 42^^ 53' 

In the hurry of the moment, while correctino- proof ehceta several 
typograpbcal and orthographical errors, and also errors in punctuation 
"eTou n.Th°^ the proof reader. It is deemed unnecesLry opS 
taem out, as they will be readily discovered bv the reader whor-Tr! 
make the necessary corrections with the pen. ^ ' ^ 



cept it, because the shortness of the time for preparation, (less than a montn,; woniu 
not allow nie to make such investigations in the history of our town, as the importance 
of the occasion required. My other duties would not permit me to devote so much atten- 
tion to the matter as I wished. The subject of my labors was a new one to me, and 1 
was almost entirely ignorant of the history of our town. I am conscious that the Address 
is deficient in more than one particular. It aflbrds me the greatest fi!i a.surc, if my efforts 
merit, in the least degree, the flattering language of yourcomniunication. 

The public, I believe, is considered to have greater claims upon Historical and Cen- 
tennial Addresses, than it has upon those of a different character. I do not, therefore, 
feel at liberty to decline furnishing a copy for the press, although the publication is in 
direct contravention of my own wishes. 

With the greatest respect. 

Your obedient servant, 

ISAAC W.SMITH. 
To Messrs. Amos Buck, and others, ^ 

Committee of Jlrrangements, S[c. , 



f^ 



\-v 



^ 

i^^ 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



.Mb. Is.i.ic W. Smith, — Dear Sib:— The Committee, appoiiileil liy the Citizens of 
Ilnmpstead, to make arrangements for the Centennial Celebration of the Incorporation 
of the town, would hereby express tlieir high gratification in listening to the very able 
and valuable Address delivered by you on the occasion, and respectfully request a copy 
for publication. 

AMOS BUCK, FREDERICK A. PIKE, 

3MOODY H. BRICKETT, EBENEZER HOYT, 

HENRY PUTNAM, JACOB E.EASTMAN, 

NELSON ORDWAY, TRISTRAM LITTLE, 

CALEB MOULTON, CHRISTOPHER P. AYER, 

STEPHEN S. SHANNON, JOSEPH C. BROWN. 

Hampstead, August loth, 1849. 



Manchester, August 20th, 1849. 
Gestleme.'*: — I have just received your communication of the loth inst., requesting, 
for publ cation, a copy of the Address delivered upon the 4th of July last. 

It was my desire that Frederick Emerson, Esq., of Boston, whom we are happy to 
claim as a native of Hampstead, and to whom, in the first instance, your invitation was 
extended, would have found leisure to comply with your request. When he de- 
clined, from press of duties, and the invitation was extended to me, I hesitated to ac- 
cept it, because the shortness of the time for preparation, (less than a month,) would 
not allow me to make such investigations in the history of our town, as the importance 
of the occasion required. My other duties would not permit me to devote so much atten- 
tion to the matter as I wished. The subject of my labors was a new one to me, and 1 
was almost entirely ignorant of the history of our town. I am conscious that the Address 
is deficient in more than one particular. It affords me the greatest (i!(asurc, if my efforts 
merit, in the least degree, the flattering language of your comnuinication. 

The public, I believe, is considered to have greater claims upon Hi«torical and Cen- 
tennial Addresses, than it has upon those of a different character. I do not, therefore, 
feel at liberty to decline furnishing a copy for the press, although the publication is in 
direct contravention of my own wishes. 

With the greatest respect. 

Your obedient servant, 

ISAAC W.SMITH. 
To Messrs. Amos Buck, and others, 

Committee of Arrangements, S[c. , 



ADDRESS. 



Fellow Citizens, and 

Natives of Hampstead : 

By your invitation, I am to speak of our honoreil foi-ciathers ; 
of men whose lives were the history of our own homes, — Avhosc 
characters were indissohibly identified with the Revohition of 
our Independence. 

To us this day is doubly interesting. We have met to cele- 
brate the anniversary of oiu: Nation's birth ; to pay a passing 
tribute to those who stood up manfully in the strife for freedom, 
and nobly gave their hves, to lay deep the foundations of that 
Government, under which we live in such perfect security of 
life and hberty. 

We have also met to celebrate an event in which we are ^je- 
culiarly interested. A century is just completed, since a handful 
of hardy settlers were honored with an Act from King George 
II, incorporating this place with the privileges and conveniences 
of a municipal government. We have met to recount the early 
history of our to^vii ; to rescue from obhvion the names of its 
settlers ; to honor the memory of its most worthy inhabitants ; 
and to show our love and veneration for the spot " where our 
eyes first saw the light," or to .Avhich, from a long residence 
within its limits, we have become ardently attached. 

Unfortmiately for posterity, there has been too little care 
bestowed upon the preservation of those legends in our earlier 
amials, which give the truest index to the character and habits 
of our ancestors, and make up a valuable part of their eventful 
lives. Though removed only two centuries from the earliest 
scenes in New England history, we are yet ignorant of many of 



6 

tlic most interesting particulars of that period. The eventful 
story of our forefathers is yet to be written. " The lore of the 
fireside is becoming obsolete. With the octogenarian few, who 
still linger among us, will perish the unwritten history of border 
life in New England." 

The period of the Trojan war is called the Heroic Age of 
(ireece. The Ihad of Homer, founded upon the incidents of 
that war, represents to us, in startling reality, the characteristics 
of the ancient Grecians ; their indomitable spirit and unyielding 
courage ; their superstitious awe of divine interference ; their 
love of country predominating over that of kindred ; their eager 
desire to be led forth to battle ; their restless inactivity in time 
of truce ; the martial spirit they infused in youthful breasts ; — 
all those quahties, that made the Grecian's fame reach the most 
distant shores. The sightless bard has portrayed to us, with 
matchless skill, the noble impress of the power of the generals 
of Greece ; the wisdom of her statesmen ; the eloquence of her 
orators, surpassing emulation ; the sublimity of her poets, more 
musical and harmonious than any who lived before them, than 
all Avho have lived since their tune. 

Eno'land's Heroic A";e embraces the darkest and most com- 
plex period m her annals. In tracing down events through the 
Middle Ages, the historian, when near the Age of Chivalry, 
finds that the poet has woven, out of the doubtful and obscure, 
dark and mysterious tragedies ; — " that he has occupied the 
vacant field, turned to account the dark hint and half-breathed 
suspicion, and poured into the unoccupied and too credulous ear 
his thrilling and attractive tale ; — that the genius of Shakspeare 
seized upon the history of this era as a vacant possession, and 
peopled it with beings, who had indeed historic names, but whose 
attributed actions lack the stamp of authenticity." 

But the Heroic Age of Neiv England^ the eventful story of 
the Puritans, has far more interesting connections. Looldng back 
through a period of little more than two centuries, we turn to 
Old England's shores, to the scenes in which they were " burn- 
ing and shining lights," to the days of their long persecutions, 
to their noble confessions of faith before the world, and " sealed 



with their blood." At Delfthavcn -vve see them kneel on the 
sea-shore ; commend themselves with fervent prayer to the bles!<- 
ing and protection of Heaven ; part forever from friends, and 
home, and native land ; embark upon the almost unknown seas, 
and uncomplainingly encounter the dangers of the deep, to 
reach a place where they may in security worship the Uving God. 
And when their lone vessel reaches the Ijleak and barren sands 
of Cape Cod, — 

" On the deck then the Pilgrims together kneel down, 
And lift their hands to the source of each blessing, 

Who supports by his smile, or can blast with his frown, 
To Him their returns of thanksgiving addressing. 

His arm through the ocean has led to the shore. 

Where their perils are ended, their wanderings are o'er." 

We admu-e the enthusiasm which impelled them to emigTate ; 
the firm, imshaken spirit with which they met the horrors of In- 
dian warfare, endured the extreme privations of the comfortable 
homes they had left behind, the sufferings and death from 
disease and a cold winter, " lamenting that they did not hve to 
see the rismg glories of the faithful." The memory of these 
men hves enshrmed in our hearts and enthroned upon our affec- 
tions. Their energy and incorruptible integrity prepared tlio 
way for the complete enjoyment of those blessings which New 
England people so preeminently possess. Amidst the stirring 
excitement of the present day, simple legends of the past have 
become, many of them, irretrievably lost. No poet has yet sung 
of the heroism of the Pilcrim Fathers. In comino; a2;es, some 
Homer may arise, who shall describe in immortal verse, tlic 
Heroic Age of the New World ; who shall smg of the j\Iay 
Flower and of Plymouth Rock ; of Heroes more nol:)le than Acliil- 
les or the son of Priam ; of moral conflicts more sublime, of defeats 
more signal than the battle between Greek and Trojan, than the 
sight of the ruins of smouldering Ilium ; and of eloquence more 
sublime than the appeals of Trojan Chiefs, or the thrillmg har- 
rangues of Grecian Leaders ; who shall sing of a submission to the 
decrees, and of an obedience of the commands, of the hving and 
true God, more humble and yet more beautiful, than the blinding 
superstitions and imposing ceremonies and sacrifices of tlic 
heathen deities. 



An affectionate and respectful remembrance of our worthy 
ancestors, is a debt of gratitude which we can pay in no other 
way, so appropriately, as by the exercises of to-day. 

If tradition speaks truly, the first inhabitants of this town 
were two Indians, who lived near Angly Pond. An Indian is 
also said to have hvcd near the large oak* in tliis neighborhood. 
No further information of the history of these men can be 
found. But these rumors are undoubtedly correct ; for the fine 
facilities for fishing, which the ponds in this town then offered, 
and the fine hunting grounds the forests then presented, must 
have rendered it a favorite resort of the Red Man. 

Our immaginations carry vxs l^ack to the time, when this land 
was inhabited by the Indian only, and to scenes witnessed or 
enacted by him alone, in centuries gone by. A Avild and roving 
people once lived in these places, once performed their sacred 
rites in these beautiful groves, celebrated their festive days 
with strange ceremonies, and payed tribute to the memory of 
their dead, with strange lamentations. Unaccustomed to till 
the soil, and independent of the cares of life, they roved in 
careless indolence throiigh these fields, bathed in these waters, 
and threaded the mazes of these forests, in uninterrupted 
pleasure. 

To use the language of another,! — " Here, long ago, and 
perhaps on the very spot where we are assembled, has been held 
the war dance around their council fires, while the surroundins 
hills echoed their loud whoop ; here -with impassioned words and 
startling figures have they made the woods resound with their 
rude but irresistible elo(juence, which, more potent than the 
peal of the ' stirring drum,' and the shrill fife, aroused them to 
deeds of daring and of valor. 

" And when in times of peace, softer passions swayed their 
hearts, beneath these forest pines, Indian youth have wooed their 
]nates, and with the stars to witness and bless their vows, have 
pledged perpetual love and constancy. 

*This tree stands in front of tlie dvvellinf» liouse of Mr. Benjamin Sawyer, and is 
the same to vvliich allusion is made l)y Rev. Henry True, in Iiis letter published in the 
Appendix. It measures about 2.5 feet in circumference. It is hollow, aad formerly, by 
means of a hole near the ground, was a favorite hiding place for tlie boys in the neighbor- 
hood. This aperture has now grown over. 

t Rev. Stephen T. Allen. Taken from his address delivered at the Centennial Cele- 
bration of the town of Merrimick, April 3, 1840. 



" But these scenes are all blotted out. The history of cen- 
turies is a blank. Oh ! could we roll back the oblivious tide 
and expose to view what other days have ^ntnessed ! could we 
but catch the sound of some soul-stirring song, or the echo of 
some strain of their simple and glowing elociuence ! But it 
cannot be. Nor song, nor speech can be gathered up. Like 

the 

' flower that's born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air,' 

they have died in the breeze that wafted them away." 

There is no record to show the exact time when Ilampstead 
was settled. The earliest record, of the town commence in Jan- 
uary, 1749, with the first meeting under the charter. According 
to tradition, the first settlement was made in 1728. The vener-* 
able man, who ministered to this people so many years, and 
whose recent death we have so much reason to lament, did more 
than any one else to preserve the most interesting events in our 
history. In his " Sketch of Hampstead,"* pubhshed in 1835, 
he remarks, " that three wliite famihcs, of the name of Ford, 
Heath and Emerson, moved into the place about the year 1728. 
Mr. Emerson came from Haverhill, and settled near a brook in 
the south part of the town. Some of his posterity remain here 
still, and are among the most respectable inhabitants." 

No additional hght has been discovered from a search among 
the records and papei-s of the towii. jMr. Kelly was always 
remarkably exact m his statements, and took a commendable de- 
gree of pride in collecting such interesting portions of history. 
I have not been able to learn the place where Mv. Emerson, nor 
where the other two famihes, settled. But from the fact, that 
until recently, famihes of the name of Heath have hved in the 
east part of the town, and that that part is known to have been 
early settled, we may conclude that they located in that vicinity. 

But another account, from some of our townsmen, states that 
the first house in Hampstead was btiilt by Mr. Edmund, or Peter 
Morse, who moved from Newbury, Ms., and was thQ grand- 

* It is proper here to say, that I am indebted to his " SketcJi " for waay of the facta 
here related ; also to the town records. Most of the remaining facts sycre coijiniuijigat^!* 
to rae by thu older inliabitants of llic town. 



10 

father of Mr. Joscjili Morse, and of Samuel Morse, I^Sii-^ 
recently deceased. The house stood in the pasture, about half 
a mile north-east of the house of Dr. Samuel Morse. A part 
of the farm is still owned by his descendants. The same account 
also states that Lieut. Peter Morse was a son of this Mr. Morse, 
and the first white male person born in town ; and that his 
daughter Judith was the first white female born in Ilampstead. 
The cellar where this house stood is still to be seen. It is dir- 
vided into two parts, by the foundation of a large chimney. 
Four pines, fro-m eight to t'welve inches in diameter, now stand 
in the cellar. Near bj these ruins is the first burial place of our 
fathers. There arc over a hundred graves, and not a single 
monument to tell us the names of those who sleep beneath the 
sod! 

Near the eastern shore of this pond* are found the ruins of 
the early settlement of the to^vn. It was once the most populous 
part, the centre of importance. Bat nothing remains, save the 
few relics which time has spared. The roughly stoned cellars,, 
the half-filled w^ells, and the beaten paths to favorite springs,, 
mark the spot Avliere our hardy townsmen first began to clear' 
the land of its heavy growth of wood and timber, erected 
their rude log houses, and began to undergo the privations of a 
life in a new settlement. 

In this age of security and luxury, we are apt to underrate 
the hardships Avliicb the first settlers of New England had to- 
encounter. Our soil is a stubborn one, and yields a good ret?urn. 
only to the most persevering toil. To live in those days, ^Th.erv 
all a family could get was what it alone could raise from the- 
earth, or fasliion with its hands ; when neighbors Avere few and 
far scattered, and each little household was dependent upon 
itself almost'alone, for help and protection ; when the work of 
years Avas liable to be destroyed in a single night ; when the 
ruthless savage was continually proAvling about each settle- 
ment, and in an imguardcd moment murdering or carrying 
into hopeless captivity, women and children ; when no farmer 
felt secure at work in his field, unless armed with his gun ; and 

*ThD exerciseB of this celebration were lield in the " Davis Grove," situated on the 
■iwestern shore (if the " Wash Pond," and extending to tlie water's edge. The Grove 
fs distant from the ruins of the first settlement, about half a mile, in a direct line. 



11 

■?^hen even the house of God was the scene of constant alarm 
from the actual or much dreaded attack of the Indian — to Hve 
in those days, and to contend with such difficulties, is not the 
ordinary lot of man. 

In reviewing the history of our town, we would gladly turn 
to the days of our first settlement, and fix on some bright spot 
of the past. We would picture to ourselves scenes of rural 
contentment and quiet: the humble log house, half concealed 
from view by tall maples and graceful elms, alike protected from 
the heat of summer and shut in from the cold storms of whiter ; 
the cheerful fireside"; the honest-minded fanner and his simplc- 
liearted dame, surrounded by a numerous family of stalwart 
young men and coy maidens, training to become efficient actors 
in the great struggle for American Independence. We follow 
in imagination, the hunter in the excitement of the chase, or in 
his perilous adventui-es in extermination of the wild beasts of the 
forest ; we hear the happy voice of the farmer toiling in his field, 
the quick blows of the woodman's axe, the loud crash of the 
falling tree, or the clear notes of the laughing, merry voices of 
■children rjnging through the woods, echoing across the calm 
surface of this beautiful pond, and dying away in the thick shade 
of the trees that covered its opposite shores. 

These scenes, we would gladly believe, constituted the routine 
of their Uves. But the reality differs widely from this ideal 
picture of rural quietness. Toil, severe and unremitting, left 
them but little leisure to enjoy the more quiet pleasures of mod- 
■ern life. It was their lot to endure the hardships of pioneers in 
the wilderness. How they fared, what difficulties they encoun- 
tered, what efforts they made for the promotion of the moral 
and benevolent institutions, which are so pecuhar to New Eng- 
land, history tells us not. The names of the great only are 
enrolled upon the books of fame. The historian records the 
name of the victorious warrior, the illustrious statesman, the 
eloquent orator, and the accomplished scholar. But the m^n, 
whose lot it is to live and die upon the spot of his birth, who* 
lives in ignorance of the ways of the world, honestly perfoiins 
his part in the drama of life, and " bears love to God acd good 
will to man," — dies lamented in the circle of immediate frieuds. 



12 

in which he moved ; hut when they in turn quit all here below, 
his memory perishes too. 

With the ruins of the first settlement of this to^vn, fast crum- 
bling to decay, will perish every memento of our earhest history. 
How forcibly are we reminded of the perishableness of earthly 
things ! A century and a quarter ago, this town was a wilderness, 
uninhabited by the white man, and only the occasional resort of 
the Indian. To-day it is the abode of civilization, of happiness, 
of peace and plenty. But its first settlers — where are they ? 
They sleep in the dust ; their very names, with hardly an ex- 
ception, are lost, and no record remains of their eventful lives. 
With a sense of lonehness we ask, " what is the history of man" ? 
and henceforth there comes the response, " born — hving — dead." 

" The battle of life is brief— 

The alarm — the strugf^le — the relief — 

Then sleep we aide by side." 

There is nothing upon the records of the town or elsewhere, 
that I have been able to discover, which reveals to us the history 
of our earhest ancestors. But from the fact that in twenty 
years from the time of its first settlement, it had become of suf- 
ficient importance to be honored with an act of incorporation, 
we may infer that, at least, an ordinary degree of success at- 
tended the settlement.* No untoward event,probably,internipted 
its growth, so that in 1748 the people petitioned the Royal 
Governor for a town charter, wliich was granted on the 19th 
of January, 1749. This instrument appears to have been re- 
garded by our ancestors with a good degree of veneration. It 
was ^copied into the first book of Records, and to those at all 
curious i,n relics of antiquity, is a matter of interest. 

From the '^ Historical Sketch," by Mr. Kelly, we fuid that 
Hampstead is made up of two segments, one from the town of 
Amesbury, and tli^ other from the to"\vn of Havei-hill ; both 
being cut off from those towns, by running the State line in 

*U was a far more difficult tiling at that time to plant a small Colony, and cause it ta 
flourish, than it is at the present day, to build up a large city, or cause thriving villages 
to spring up, by encha,ntment almost, out of the midst of a thriving and industrious 
people The largest city in this State, 11 years ago, contained less than a thousand 
inhabitants; in the compact part oTit, where is now found a thriving population of 
14000 souls, there then stood but 3 houses and dwelt about a score of people. At the 
present day this wonderful increase is not uncommon. A century ago it required time 
to lay the foundation of a perjipa^ient settleBjfint. 



13 

1X41, and Avcre thereby included -witliin the Province of New 
Hampshire. It was called, origiuallj, Timber Lane, " on ac- 
count of its being an elevated, hard tract of land, and from the 
abundance of timber of the most valuable lands, Avhicli rendered 
it a place of considerable resort." It was named Ilampstead, 
after a pleasant village of that name in the County of ]\Iiddlesex, 
in England, five miles north of London. The town was so named 
by Governor Wentworth. The Island in this town was reserved 
by him for his farm. This Island must formerly have been a 
place of considerable note. All accounts agi-ee in saying that 
the Governor reserved it for his own use. No such reservation 
appears in the Charter. It would, perhaps, be more proper to 
say that he owned the Island in his own right, in the same way 
that any private individual owned his OAvn farm. The buildings 
erected upon the Island, must, in their day, have been consid- 
ered of a superior kind. One of the houses was evidently 
intended for the occasional residence of the Governor, and the 
other, according to the English custom, vras of a poorer kind, 
and devoted to the use of his domestics. Notwithstanding the 
buildings have been suftered to go to decay, there are yet 
enough traces of improvement remaining, to render the spot 
one of the most beautiful places in the State. It was formerly 
called " Governor's Island." As it is wanting in a name at this 
time, a retuni to the old name would be very appropriate. 

In granting the Charter, the King reserved to himself, his 
" heirs and successors, forever, all white pine trees, gromng and 
being, or that shall grow and be, on the said tract of land, fit 
for the use of his Royal Navy." Such a reservation was usual 
at that time ; but it has availed the poor King and liis successors 
but httle. Since we threw off the yoke of British allegiance, 
his successors have been forced to look elsewhere for materials 
for the " Royal Navy," and England, twice hvnnbled in her 
haughty pride, has found a powerful rival on the shores of 
America. 

In accordance with the provisions of the Charter, the first 
pubhc meeting was warned to assemble for the purpose of organ- 
izing under it, by Daniel Little, Esq. The warrant is one of 
which we may, as townsmen, well be proud. It is so indicative 



14 

of the character of our Ncav Eu^^land ancestors, that I cannot 
forbear copying it. 

"These are to warn ye free holders and other inhabitarits of ye town 
of Hampstead, qualified to vote in ye clioice of Town Officers, to meet 
at ye New Meeting IIou.se in Ilnmpstead, on ye first Wednesday of 
February next at 10 of ye clock in ye forenoon for ye following particu- 
lars, viz : 

1st. To choose town officers as ye law directs. 

2d. To see what ye said Town will do in order to make ye Meeting 
House more comfortable for ye public worship of God, and also to choose 
a Committee to take care of ye same. 

3dly. To consider and act what shall be thought best about ye place 
proposed for six pews in ye new tier in ye front of said Meeting House. 

4thly. To choose a Committee to provide a Minister to preach among 
us in order for settling amongst us, or what ye town may think most 
proper. 

Dated at Hampstead, Jan'y 24, 1749. 

DANIEL LITTLE, 7us/j'ce of the Peace."' 

The people Avere notified to assemble in the JV^eiv Meetmg 
House. This is the same building -which is now used for a town- 
house, and occasionally for religious services. It cannot be 
■determmed, certainly, when it Avas built. From the best informa- 
tion, we are led to believe that it was raised about the year 1745. 
It was probably built at the town's expense, as they seem by the 
records to have exercised exclusive control over it, in selling the 
pews, making repairs, and taking care of it. 

The building, that first served them for a place of worsliip, 
must have been small, and of that kind universally erected by 
the Puritans, when they first settled in New England. It was 
located upon the spot where "Spiggot Hall," (recently so named,) 
is now situated. Nothing remains to tell us when it was erected, 
nor how long it was used. It was probably built of hewn logs, 
in the simplest manner, without porch or ornament, and without 
any pretensions to beauty or finish, after the mode of arcliitecture 
then prevailing in New England. Hough boards or logs consti- 
tuted the pews, and the pulpit was scarcely any thing better. A 
gallery for the choir Avas unheard of, or at least unthought of, 
being considered a dangerous innovation upon Puritan simplicity. 
As was their custom in those times, the hymn was " deaconed 
out," a line at a tune, (for hymn books Avere a luxury Avhich they 
could ill affijrd,) and all the congregation, Avho chose, joined in 
the singing ; a mode of praising God, often more in accordance 



15 

with the real feelings of the heart, than the elegant, finished, but 
too frequently unmeaning way, in Avhich the select choirs of the 
present day, perform this delightful dut}-. 

The first Meeting House must have been extremely uncom- 
fortahle in the winter season ; its walls were unplastcred, and 
fires were out of the question, stoves being a thing unheard of, 
in such a place. The building too, was erected Avhen the popu- 
lation was small in numbei*s, and would not acc<nnmodate the 
increasing wants of the people. 

From these considerations, they determined to erect a new 
and more commodious place of worship. The new house, which 
they constructed, reflects great credit upon them, for what must 
then have been considered an elegant and beautiful structure. 
It was built of durable materials, and for over a century has 
withstood the ravages of tune. In convenience of arrangement^ 
in the simplicity of its model, and in the beauty of its propor- 
tions, it stands a monument of Piu-itan skill and energy, and of 
Puritan faith. 

The house was not put in its present shape, till near the close 
of the eighteenth century, when the porch and steeple were ad- 
ded, and the house thoroughly repaired. Even the windoAvs 
were not all glazed, nor the doors all hung, till some years after 
the frame was covered ; and it was many years before its walls 
were plastered. The limited means of our fathers would not 
permit them to finish it, as fast as they desired, or as convenience 
demanded. 

The erection of this house was considered by them indispens- 
able. It was no mercenary motive that led our fathers to leave 
" Old England's " shores, encounter the perils of the deep, and 
endure the privations of a hfe in the wilderness. It must have 
been a strong and enduring love for religion, and a perfect faith 
in God, that uiduced our Puritan mothers to sever the ties of 
kindred and nation, to leave parents and friends — all behind, — 
and find in the wilds and severe climate of New England, a 
place to worship God in security, " according to the dictates of 
their own consciences ; " to find a refuge from persecution, and 
an asylum for the despised Pilgrim. It was a strong and abid- 
ing lore in God, that could induce our fathers and mothers to 



16 

leave the luxuries and pleasures of liome — that word, the men- 
tion of which, calls up in our memories a thousand pleasing as- 
sociations, — and to settle in lands which would bo continuallj 
harrassed by Indian warfare, and attended with such " sure de- 
struction of property, and life, and hope." " There Avas no 
face which did not gather paleness, and no heart which did not 
bleed at every pore. Every thing in life was held and enjoyed 
in fearful uncertainty. The fond mother, witli lier infant in her 
arms, held him in perpetual fear. She fcltthat inward terror, 
that beating and throbbing of nature witliin the heart, which 
she only can know, who is nursing her infant for slaughter." — 
Hearts, that could put their trust in the Lord, and irrave dan- 
gers like these, more terrible, because uncertain, and attended 
with unheard of barbarity, must have been imbued with a per- 
fect love of God. It no longer, then, excites our wonder, that 
every infant settlement had its sanctuary, that New England 
has become world renowned for its religion, its learning, and it& 
enterprise. Its ten thousand Church spu-es, reaching upwards 
towards Heaven, point with unerring accuracy, to the cause of 
its superiority in morahty and prosperity. 

Happily our own town never was the scene of Indian massar 
cr^ and cruelty. But its vicinity to other places, which, in an 
unsuspecting moment, became scenes of bloodshed, must have 
kept them in perpetual suspense. " Husbands and Avives, 
parents and children, nightly retired to rest m safety, sunk 
together into silence, doubting ever to rise again." 

The same people came to settle this toAvn, and possessed the 
same midymg love for God, and the same unyielding spirit to 
persecution. The strong love for the sanctuary and sanctuary 
privileges, "which they unplanted in ouj' breasts, is the richest 
legacy they could have bequeathed us. It outsliines in splendor 
and in richnegs, " the Avealth of Ormus and of Ind." It is no 
mean heritage to be the descendants of such people. Well may 
we quote with pride the first warrant for the meeting of the 
free-holders, when every Ime but one was penned, to take 
measures for the enjoyment of increased privileges in the wor- 
ship of God, and to provide a permanent preacher of His word. 

The erection of their new Meeting House was an important 



1 



ora ill their history. It is uufortuiuite tliat there is no authentic 
record of it extant. Allow mc to (j[uote the language used up- 
on an occasion similar to this,* 

" It was apparent that it was in their hearts to build a house 
unto the Lord. At length the work went on. The forest, dense 
and heavy, that then entirely surrounded the destined location, 
resounded with the woodman's axe. The oaks hard by, — vener- 
able with the growth of centuries,— were felled, and fitted for 
their place ;" at length, " the day, so long an object of pious de- 
sire on the part of some, and of wakeful interest among all, had 
arrived. At an early hour in the morning, from the remotest 
borders of the town, the men are gathering. All are prompt, 
and ready to act their several parts in a scene, than which 
none, perhaps, more joyous had ever before occured in the his- 
tory of the town. None of the actors survive, to recount what 
transpired on that memorable day. We knoAv, however, that 
the raising of a Meeting House was an event of no ordinary in- 
terest. But in these days of progress and rapid execution, 
when villages rise up like mushrooms, and Meeting Houses, 
confortably provided with aU fixtures, can be furnished at short 
notice, we can but imperfectly imagine the excitement that 
thrilled the infant settlement, on the occasion in question. 

" The morning of the day, we may well suppose, found their 
domestic matters done vip in season ; and we seem to see 
them setting off, — the active and the able-bodied, with their im- 
plements in hand, — the housemves neatly attired in their check- 
ered aprons, on foot or on pillion, — the beardless, vaunting 
young men and coy maidens, in Sunday dress, — all wending 
their way to the central point of interest, where, doubtless, in 
due time were assembled nearly all of the three hundred poj> 
ulation in town. 

" What deeds of strength and agility, in handling beams and 
rafters, — what skill in tilting and catching pins, — what hair- 
breadth escapes, — what presumptuous adventures, in walkmg 
the giddy ridge-pole, — what notes of alarm from prudent moth- 
ers and careful wives, — it is not for us to report. Nor would 
it be of interest, at this late period, to speak of the closing 



•Rev. Mr. Allen. 



18 

scenes of that day. It is enough to remark, that, as after the 
consecration of the Temple, Solomon held a feast, and all Is- 
rael with him, and on the eighth day sent the people away, and 
they came to their tents joyfully and glad of heart ;" so no 
doubt abundant provision had been made " for all those creature 
comforts oiice^ — but not noiv, — deemed indispensable at a raising. 

" Tlie massive frame thus went up, -^vithout any accident to 
mar the happiness of the occasion ; and there it has stood," 
more than " a century, defying the fierce blasts of winter, and 
the progress of decay, — and seems even now capable, with 
proper care, of lasting a century more. Though it has been 
taken from sacred, and appropriated to secular uses, — though 
it stands sohtary and alone, and seems without and within, Uke 
one forsaken, — ^yet, who can pass by it," " without emotion ? " 
It is of New England Architecture. " It is a Puritan struc- 
ture." * * * " Centuries to come will approve and applaud 
the New England men, who worshipped in square pews, and the 
New England Ministers, who preached with a subduing power 
from high pulpits." 

The first town meeting was held on the 7th day of February, 
1749.* Daniel Little was chosen Moderator, and had the honor 
of holding the first elective office in town. Peter Eastman was 
elected Town Clerk, to which office he was annually elected, 
with but two exceptions, till 1776. Nathaniel Heath was chosen 
Constable, but not wishing to serve, hired Ebenezer Gile to take 
his place, and the town accepted the substitute. A board of five 
Selectmen was chosen, either because it was the custom to 
choose that number, or because they thought five would be more 
prompt to serve the town Avell, than three. The board consisted 
of John Jolinson, Lieut. Peter Morse, George Little, Jacob Bay- 
ley, and Stephen Johnson. The other offices were all filled, no 
doubt, by good men. Joseph Stevens and John Beard were 
elected Hogreeves. If the custom then prevailed, as at the 
present time, of choosing the newly married to that office, we 
are led to infer that Joseph Stevens and John Beard had recent- 
ly worshipped at the altar of Hymen. It is certainly a custom 

*This was in Old Style. According to our chronology, it would be eleven days later- 
This remark will also apply to the date of our town charter. 



19 

of long standing. The office was not then, as now, a noniuial one ; 
its duties were often onerous. Perhaps the custom owes its ori^ 
to a playfid desire upon the part of the community at large, to 
render this naturally embarrassing period of the newly wedded 
couple's life, more embarrassing, by thus drawing to the happy 
groom, the attention of the whole town. There may be something 
peculiar in matrimony itself, that renders him a suitable person 
to have charge of the swdne running at large, and makes him em- 
phatically " master of the ring." Or, by ringing the nose of 
the unfortimate pig, he may see a foreboding of what is to be his 
own fate, mJess he shall float down the stream of wedded life, 
more safely than sometimes happens. The question \yill, proba- 
bly, never be settled upon strictly political principles. 

Some action was taken at this meeting for securing a settled 
Minister. But from a defect in the records, it does not appear 
what action was had. From the fact that a Minister was settled 
three years afterwards, in 1752, it is probable that this meeting 
prepared the way for future success, though its action, at that 
time, did not result in anything definite. 

At the Annual Meeting in 1750, among other things, it was 
voted " to hire a school master for six months m ye summer 
season, to teach ye children, to read and write." We may point 
to this vote, with great pleasure. That a town, which had been 
settled only twenty-one years, and had, probably, less than three 
hundred inhabitants, should be at the expense of sustaining a 
school half the year, was an act, which forms one of the bright- 
est spots in our history. Tlie next distinguishing feature, in the 
policy adopted by our fathers, to the noble example they set in 
the worship of God, is oui- system of Common Schools. 

The men, who settled New England, entertained correct ideas 
of true glory. They had been schooled in adversity, and had 
learned to estimate truly himian greatness and human power. — 
They knew that " knowledge is power." In the ignorance and 
superstition that shrouded the Old World in error, shut out the 
glad light of hberty, and fastened upon Europe the badges of 
the most despotic governments, they saw the destmy that awaited 
them in their new homes, imless they should lay deep the found- 
ations of knowledge. They knew that freedom,without knowledge, 



20 

was but anotlier name for slavery. The arrogant assumptions 
of the Papal authority, the Ititter, unrelenting cruelty of the 
Dark Ages, their own persecutions by their own fire-sides, served 
to make them strive more zealously, to estabhsh what they con- 
ceived to 1)0 the truth. Our fathers saw the degradation of the 
masses of the Old "World, and resolved that no such heritage 
should be the lot of their children. At the same time they 
erected their own dwelhngs, they also erected the school house. 

When they established the Common School system, they per- 
formed an act, Avhose influence will reach down through all time. 
Had it not been for the iiitelliyence of the men of 1776, America 
had never been free. Had it not been for Common Schools, our 
enterprise would not whiten every sea with the sails of our ships ; 
our commerce would not extend to the most distant ports ; our 
fabrics would not compete so successfully with those of more 
favored climes ; our glorious Union itself AvoiUd not have stood 
so long, unshaken by the dangers, which threaten it without and 
within. 

Caesar, the hero of three hundred battles, the subjugator of 
eight hundred cities, the conqueror of three millions of people, 
one milhon of whom he slew in battle, has, indeed, rendered his 
name immortal. But long after the influence of his deeds shall 
have ceased to be felt, when his name shall be remembered only 
to be associated with scenes of cruelty, shall the humble, unpre- 
tending acts of the Pilgrims move the mighty masses that shall 
come after them. 

The greatest foe to tyranny is knowledge. Millions, yet un- 
born, will unite to bless the men, "• who broke the magic spell 
of ignorance and of error." 

We do not feel the full weight of the debt of gratitude, which 
we owe to the memory of our fathers. Not till we contrast our 
fortune with that of the millions of Europe, who are now strug- 
gUng to burst the bonds that have so long held them in ignorance, 
and in humiliating dependence upon the nobihty, can we feel the 
superiority of our condition. 

How difierent is the condition of Common Schools at the 
present day, from Avhat it was one hundred years ago ! Then, 
the town voted to hire a teacher for six months, to teach only 



21 

reading and writinf;:;. So limited a course of education at thi:^ 
day, would hardly be tliought a very great accomplishment. 
But their effort for the education of the rising generation Avill 
seem a noble one, when we consider, that then almost the whole 
world was buried in ignorance ; that only here and there did 
the bright rays of knowledge illumine the foce of the earth ; 
that then people considered the possession of knowledge beyond 
their reach, and forbore to strive after it ; that one century ago, 
the world was groping in the dark, — all knowledge of the truth 
effectually shut out from the minds of the people, except when 
imparted through the medium of men, whose interest it was to 
keep the masses in ignorance. Even in 1750, our town would 
compare favorably Avith the condition of many parts of our coun- 
try at the present time. In our so\ithern and western States, 
there is many an individual, who can neither read nor write. 
But an hundred 3'ears ago, it was not a common thhig to find a 
New Englander who could not do both. 

There are many yet living, who can count their whole term 
of " schooling " by weeks ; who traveled miles to school, and 
thought themselves fortunate to enjoy such privileges. The 
school houses of that time were wanting in almost every con- 
venience, and possessed none of the luxuries of modern times. 
Though often hardly worthy the name of a school house, often 
containing only a single room, cold and uncomfortable, amid the 
miniature snow banks, which crept stealthily in between the 
crevices of the hewn logs, and through the cheerless days of 
winter, were educated as brave men and noble hearts as ever 
lived. 

The Testament was then the only reading and spelling book 
known ; and a copy-book consisted of a few leaves of the rough- 
est paper. To this limited Hst of studies, Ai-ithmetic was soon 
added. At first no text-book was used. Such examples as would 
come up in the ordinary course of a man's business, were given 
out by the teacher, and the four fundamental rules taught orally. 
In time, Pike's Arithmetic made its appearance, grew into gen- 
eral favor, and for a long time remained in exclusive use. But 
that, like every thing else, must give place to improvement. 
Then followed "Welch's, Adams's Old, and New, Colburn's, and 



22 

lastly, to the honor of" our town, the analytical, thorough and 
concise treatise, by one of Hampstead's most distinguished sons.* 
The rapidity with which it grew into general favor, the extensive 
adoption of it in most of our schools, and the success with which 
it maintained its favor with the pubhc in face of the most perse- 
vering competition, is proof, stronger than words, of its real 
merits. 

There is not time to notice all the improvements introduced 
into our schools. What distrust accompanied the introduction 
of new studies, what Avry faces were made over the unintelhgible 
pages of Murray, what bitter tears were shed over hard, half- 
learned tasks, and what fear of bUstered hands or smarting limbs, 
— we leave for other pens on different occasions. 

It is proper, however, to allude to the important changes that 
have taken place in reading books. The New Testament was, 
at j&rst, the only reading book used. But from the sacredness 
■of the book, and on account of its being ill adapted to the ca- 
pacities of different ages, it was superseded by other books. The 
American Preceptor and, for a long time also, the EngUsh 
Reader, were favorite text-books. In the improvements of the 
age, these books gave way to a series well adapted to the differ- 
ent ages and capacities of youth, by another distinguished son 
of Hampstead.f For several years the town honored him by the 
exclusive adoption of his books. But the love for new things is 
irresistible ; and Emerson's Reading Books have been partially 
laid aside, to make room for other candidates for public favor. 
The same author has furnished to the world a simple, neat, well, 
arranged and correct spelling-book, :|: which has been exclusively 
adopted in the schools in this town for nearly twenty years. The 
hundreds of editions that have been pubhshed, its almost univer- 
sal adoption in schools, and the long time it has been in use, are 
sure guaranties of its worth. The rival, that can supplant it, 
must present the strongest claims of excellence. 

The man who pubhshes a book for Common School use, wields 
a mighty influence. The character of his book operates upon 

* The North American Arithmetic, in three parts, by Frederick Emerson, Instructor in 
Boston. 
t Benjamin D. Emerson, Esq., Roxbury, Mass. 
I Emerson's National Spelling Boob. 



23 

the mind when it is most susceptible of bias. It is the duty of 
the people, then, to look into the character of the instruments, 
■which aid in forming the most lasting impressions the youthful 
mind ever receives. 

I believe no other town has the honor of being the birth-place 
of men, whose school books have been so universally approved 
and adopted. This fact, together with the esteem with which 
we have always regarded them, must be my apology for alluding 
to what, at first sight, might not seem strictly appropriate to the 
occasion. 

Our fathers had not the advantages which we enjoy. The 
to^Nvn, in 1750, contained but one district, and according to the 
tenns of the vote, the school was to be sustained only in the 
summer season. Its advantages could not, therefore, have been 
extensive. The great distance must have excluded most of the 
smaller children, and the duties of the farm and of the dairy, in 
the busiest season of the year, must have deprived many of the 
elder cliildren from attending. The first attempts in other parts 
of New England, to estabhsh schools, were attended with similar 
inconveniences, and produced only the same Hmited advantages. 
But from this small germ, has grown up around us our strongest 
bulwark of defence. It is the cause of our miexampled pros- 
perity. In vain will bigotry or infidehty attempt to undermine 
our security, while our system of Common Schools is cherished as 
one of the most efficient aids to religion, and national prosperity. 
The foundation of all prosperity is in an enlightened communi- 
ty. An ignorant people, though inhabiting the most favored 
land on earth, soon sinks into insignificance. Our extended 
searcoast invites the merchant to traverse the ocean for trade 
with every clime. Our fertile valleys have given employment 
to the agriculturalist. Our numerous water-falls have attracted 
the enterprising manufacturer. " Cities spring up Hke exhalar 
tions, under the magic touch of his wand, and the hum of machin- 
ery arises out of the midst of a thrifty, industrious and happy 
people." The majestic plains and rivers of the West have col- 
lected adventurers from every part of the world. Our country 
exhibits to other nations the unexampled rise and prosperity of 
a free, self-governed, and educated people. The Common 



24 

School system has heen one of the most effective means in pro- 
ducing these magic clianges. Its benefits and its inevitable re* 
suits are arguments -which come directly home to the hearts and 
understandings of the great body of the people. To the fore- 
sight and wisdom of the Pilgrims, are we indebted for this rich 
legacy. With what care and anxiety, then, shoidd we cherish 
it, so that we may hand it down to those who shall come after 
us, not only untarnished, but in our hands made the instrument 
of increased good. 

Time forbids indulging in any further reflections, to which so 
fruitfid a subject invites our attention. The remahiing events 
in our town's history must be rapidly run over. 

At this time there appears to have been some trouble concern- 
ing the l^irsonage lands. The Proprietors of Haverhill granted 
to the inhabitants of Timber Lane, a tract of land " for ye use 
of ye first mmister who should settle here." At this meeting 
in 1750, it was voted " that Estj. Little, Capt. Copps and John 
Webster should be a committee to agree with Thos. Haynes to 
go off ye Parsonage land, if they can do it on reasonable terms." 
This committee was unsuccessful in effecting a settlement Avith 
Mr. Haynes. It is not easy to ascertain wherein the difficidty 
consisted. The dispute was about the title. At different meet- 
ings the town choose committees to prosecute the trespassers, or 
to settle with them, or to refer the matter. So many votes were 
passed and reconsidered, that it is not possible to ascertain how 
the matter was finally adjusted. The last vote upon the town 
records, is to give it to any one to hold in fee simple, who will 
take up the case and prosecute it to final judgment. Probably 
some amicable adjustment was made, which secured the lands to 
the town.* 

An article Avas inserted in the warrant " to see if ye town 
would give Mr. Merriam a call to settle as a gospel minister in 
ye town." From a defect in the records, it cannot be ascertain- 
ed what was done. 

In August, 1750, at a meeting holden for the purpose, a com- 

* Since the above was delivered,! have learned that the above named lands do not 
make a part of the present Parsonage. They are situated on the west road leading from 
Mr. Daniel Emerson's to the Wadley Corner. Rev. Henry True, soon after his settle- 
ment,sold out his interest for a mere song, andthe purchaser made a very profitable m- 
Tcstment of his money. 



niittcc was chosen '' to supply ye pulpit, with ye advice of ye 
neighboring ministers." A similar vote was passed in 1751. 
The town thus had prea(5hing most of the time. At a meeting 
held on the 25th day of February, 1752, the town voted, to 
*' choose and elect Mr. Henry True, to settle vnth. us in ye work 
of ye ministry." " Voted to give Mr. True for his annual 
salary £450, each of ye two first years, in money, old tenor, 
or equal to it in money ; and after ye two first years are expired? 
then £500 a year, of ye like money, during ye time he contin- 
ues to carry on ye work of 3'e ministry amongst us, in this town 
of Hampstead." At an adjourned meeting, they voted, as an 
additional inducement for him to come, " XIOOO, 0. t., one-half 
in bills of credit, and ye other half in labor and materials for 
building — also twenty cords of wood, annually, after he hath a 
family. Also ye peaceable possession of ye land, granted by 
the Proprietors of Haverhill, to ye first minister who should settle 
in Timber Lane." To the call of the town, and this liberal offer, 
Mr. True returned a letter of acceptance.* 

Mr. True came from Sahsbury, Mass. He was graduated at 
Harrard College, m 1750, and was ordained June 24th, 1752, 
and continued in the ministry almost thirty years, till his death. 
" He always maintained the character of a good man," (says 
Rev. Mr. Kelly,) " agreeably to the text. Acts 11: 24, which 
Rev. Edward Barnard of Haverhill preached from, at his ordina- 
tion. During the first half of his ministry, no clergjnnan was 
more highly esteemed, or better treated by the people than he 
was. As his family increased, they added to his salary ; the 
whole sum that the people gave him, over his regular salary, 
was nearly $3000 ; and this was when the daily wages of select- 
men were only two shilUngs, But towards the close of his 
ministry, they cut down his salary, for several yeare, to $200 a 
year. Other ministers came into the place, and by their zealoua 
and loud speaking, produced great commotion, but no revival 
among the people, who were very sanguine and versatile in their 
opinions. This did not unsettle the good minister, nor sully his 
character in the view of any man, but it reduced his salary and 
the number of his hearers, so that after his decease, the people 



♦See Appendix, A. 



26 

were in trouble." For many years, in conseriuence of a division- 
amongst themselves, tliej attempted, unsuccessfully, to settle a 
new minister. 

In 1755, during tlie old French War, Mr. True Avent into the 
army as chaplain ; also, again in 1762. In a letter to his wife, 
dated July 11th, at Crown Point, he gives an interesting account 
of matters occuring in the camp ; he speaks of the great drought 
which was so fetal to the crops that year. His connection with 
the army does not appear to have been marked by any striking 
events. After remaining there the appointed time, he returned 
to his family and people. 

Mr. True died suddenly on the 22d of May, 1782, in the 
fifty-seventh year of his age. It was on the Sabbath, just as he 
was ready to leave his house for the house of God, to preach as 
usual, when, with scarcely a moment's warning, he was called 
to " a tabernacle not made with handis," to spend an eternal 
Sabbath of rest. 

Mr. True was the means of doing much good ; his influence is 
felt to this day. He left a numerous ftimily of children, who 
settled in different parts of our land, and carried with them the 
habits and virtues, which their father instilled into their minds, 
in their youth. 

Dr. Jabez True, his son, was one of the first settlers of Ohio ; 
he led a life of more than ordinary usefulness. He died in 
1823, at the age of sixty-three. His memory is still cherished 
by the descendants of the early pioneers of that great State, for 
his universal charity, simplicity of manners, and sincere piety. 
Rev. Henry True, another son, was, for many years, settled 
in the State of Maine, and now^, in his old age, is enjoying the 
<3onsciousness of having lived a useful life, and is commanding 
the veneration and respect of every one. 

The people of this town can bear testimony to the life of use- - 
fulness, which another of the family has led. Her visits of 
mercy to the sick, her sympathy for the poor and distressed, her 
disinterested zeal in works of charity and benevolence, have en- 
deared her to us with many ties of affection. 

In 1753, the town offered a bounty of four pounds on every 
Ttolf killed in the town. An incident, which occured about this 



27 

time, was the cause of the passage of this vote. Lieut. Peter 
Morse was tending a coal pit upon his land, at some distance 
from his house. At night, Avhcn ready to return to his family, he 
found himself surrounded hy several wolves. He was ohliged 
to pass along and sleepless night in the forest, and saved his life 
only by continually throwing fire-brands at them. 

Every vestige of the wilderness has long been removed. 
Among the most vexatious and often calamitous annoyances, 
which were continually harrassing om* ancestors, was the attack 
of wild beasts upon their flocks. 

The warrant for the annual meeting in 175G commences with 
the caption, — " Province of New Hampshire. In His Majesty's 
name, you are required to meet," &c. This caption was used 
this year for the first time, and was continued till the commence- 
ment of the Revolutionary War, when it was changed to " Col- 
ony of New Hampshire. In the name of the Government and 
People, you are notified," &c. After the formation of the Con- 
stitution, it was again changed to " State of New Hampshire. 
In the name of said State, you are," &c. These changes of 
captions, though considered small matters in themselves, serve 
to show how ready the people were to renounce all allegiance to 
the King of England. 

In 1758, a committee was chosen to defend a suit brought by 
the town of Kmgston against Hampstead. The difficulty con- 
tinued eight years, before it was settled. Before the State line 
Avas run in 1741, Hampstead as now constituted, belonged mostly 
to Haverhill. But a small portion of the eastern part of the 
toAvn, which went by the name of Amesbury Peak, was claimed, 
both by Kingston and by Amesbury, although the latter town 
exercised jurisdiction over the territory. Kingston then com- 
prehended all that is now called Kingston, East Kingston, Dan- 
ville and Sandown, and behig incorporated fifty-five years before 
Hampstead, would also embrace the disputed territory, after the 
running of the State line. Though that town had slept fifty-five 
years, before the incorporation of Hampstead, and eleven years 
after its incorporation, yet in 17G0, " they at last waked up, 
and fell upon this town with redoubled force, with writ after 
writ." These law suits caused the town a i2:ood deal of trouble. 



28 

and many meetings were called for the purpose of settling the 
difficulty, or defending the suits. At one time, the town voted 
to pay Kingston one thousand pounds, old tenor, and costs, 
which must have amounted to a round sum. There is another 
vote to pay Kingston twelve hundred pounds, and still another 
to pay three thousand pounds. But it is difficult to say whether 
the town ever paid Kingston anything, except the costs. At 
this state of the difficulty, the Governor interfered, and com- 
promised the matter, by a grant to Kingston, of a tract of land 
near the Connecticut River. The new township was named 
Unity, because the granting of it made peace between Hamp- 
stead and Kingston. The settlement was finally effected in 
1776. It would be very fortunate if all difficulties, arising 
out of disputed territories, could be settled as amicably as this 
was.* 

In 1762, the town voted " to keep the meeting house doors 
shut against all such preachers, whose principles and conduct 
are such, that neither Congregational nor Presbyterian Churches 
amongst us can hold communion with, or admit as preachers." 
From the testimony of Mr. Kelly, " almost all the followers of 
the new preachers became downright infidels, of which, it is 
believed, this town had more than any other then known in the 
State. They sowed the seeds of wickedness so much, that their 
pernicious influence was felt for many years afterwards, by the 
goodly number of sober people, who then had no minister to 
speak the word of truth, and break the bread of life to them." 

This account should be taken with some grains of allowance. 
Mr. Kelly wrote with all the prejudices of a zealous minister of 
the eighteenth century. The Puritans looked with jealousy up- 
on any sect of Christians, other than their own. The people of 
this town partook fully of that feeUng, and very probably, op- 
posed the new creeds springing up around them, so bitterly, as 
to cause those who were indifferent to any particular creed in 
I'eligion, to sympatliise w^th the persecuted. This is always the 
result of bitter opposition. Often, the surest way to put down 
error, is to leiave it unnoticed. If the doctrine has merits of 

*" Historical Sketch of Hampstead." The above account by Mr. Kelly >!i the onlr 

«l'S.tett)p.nl to be/ijgnd of ilir Kinjj^'loii difficulty. 



20 

its own, it will then stand upon tliem alone ; and if it is really 
an error, it will fall and destroy itself in its own ruins. 

The pay of Selectmen, about this time, Avas two shillings per 
day, lawful money. The town, at the annual meeting, voted 
what compensation the Selectmen for the year previous, should 
receive. Sometimes they voted to pay them nothing. This was 
not a very complimentary estimate of the value of their services; 
but if our public servants at the present day, should be paid for 
the good they actually do perform, they would, undoubtedly, be 
more active to perform their duties faithfully, and less eager to 
sustain the burdens of public office. 

Our town has had its share of pubhc calamities. In 173T, 
in the latter part of the winter, large numbers of cattle died from 
scarcity of hay ; and many families suffered extremely from want 
of bread. In 1738, " there was a remarkable worm, which ate 
the leaves from the oak trees. Other vegetation also suffered." 
*' In 1741, the winter was colder than almost any man ever be- 
fore knew in New England." In 1749, was the greatest drought 
ever known in the land. One person writes, " that five acres 
of good land, newly laid down, produced but one load of hay. 
That he mowed several days, and could not cut two hundred a 
day." Some people cut down trees for their cattle to browse, 
and many sent to Virginia for hay. The corn crop yielded well 
that year, else their sufTerings must have been severe. In 1756, 
a maUgnant fever prevailed, which swelled the number of deaths 
to thirty. In a population of three hundred, this was a fearful 
mortality. Tliese calamities are, however, too well known to 
require any further notice. 

The circumstances of procuring the bell in this town are at- 
tended with some interest. Dea. Thomas Huse, of West New- 
bury, Mass., in 1809, owned and lived upon the Island. He was 
a particular friend of Mr. Kelly, and said to him one day, " you 
have a steeple here and need a bell. If you will go to Mr. 
George Holbrook, of Brookfield, and speak for a bell, I will pay 
for it." The bell was accordingly procured and brought upon 
the ground, before any man in Hampstead knew anything about 
it, except the two who had been spoken to, to make the frame. 
It was first suspended from a limb of the old oak tree, in this 



30 

neif^hborhood, and rmvj:, much to tlie surprise of all the people 
who had not been apprised of the event ;* a very harmless and 
agreeable way of perpetrating a joke. f 

It is worthy of note, that there are seven farms in this town, 
that have remained in the same families over one hundred years.:): 
It is an old and familiar adage, " there's no place like home ;" 
these farms, then, must be doubly dear to their present owners. 
The reminiscences of childhood, and the scenes enacted around 
these hearth-stones of their fathers, render these places dear to 
them, with a thousand ties of afiection. 

At a special meeting of the toAvn, called on the twentieth of 
December, 1774, it was voted, " that the money called for from 
this town, in order to support the expense of the Delegates of 
the General Congress sent by this Province, shall be paid out of 
the town stock." " Also that a Committee of Inspection§ be 
chosen to regard the conduct of the people, touching the associa- 
tion of the General Congress." 

At a special meeting, held July fifteenth, 1776, it was voted 
" to raise a sum of money sufficient to hire thirteen men, sent 
for by Col. Gale, as the proportion of this town, to join the Con- 
tinental Army under Gen, Sullivan, at Canada, or at Crown 
Point," " Voted to set aside and excuse all those persons, who 
have done a turn in the war the last year, or their proportion of 
a turn in said war, from paying any part." The town also 
chose a committee to hire and enlist the thirteen men called for, 
and empowered them to procure money for the payment of the 
soldiers. 

This meeting was held, either immediately upon the reception 

♦Many of the foregoing facti and statements .ire found in the " Sketch of Harapstead," 
before alluded to. 

t The following extract is taken from the deed of conveyance by Dea. Iluse: 

•' I, Thomas Huse of llampstead, &c,, in consideration of the love, and good will, and 
alfection which I have and hear to the inhabitants of the town of Hampstead in general, 
and to the Congregational Church and Society in particular, and with a view and desite 
to unite a spirit of liberality, and toprcmote good order, harmony and peace in the paid 
town of Hampstead, have given, granted, and confirmed, and by these presents do uive, 
grant, and confirm unto the said town of Hampstead, for the use and benefit of said 
inhabitants in general, and for the use and benefit of said Church and Society in particu- 
lar, — forerer — a certain meeting house hell now on the meeting liousein spid Hampstead, 
made by George Holbrook, at JJrookfield, Mass. * * *" — Records of Hampstead, Vol. 2, 
pp. G2-3. 

X These farmi are either owned or occupied by the following persons, respectively, viz: 
Mr. Jonathan Williams; Heirs ef John H. Clark, who died the present season ; Mr. 
Caleb Hadley ; Dr. Samufl Morse ; Mr. Moses Atwood ; Mr. Aniasa EaslDian ; and WidovM- 
Mary Calef. 

f, See Appendix. 



.'51 

of the news of the Dechiration of Iiidepcudcnce, or a few days 
prior, and when that instrument -was the general subject of 
thouglit and conversation. It shows that ours was not behind 
other towns, in responding to the action of Congress, Commit- 
tees of Inspection were chosen at ^'arious times, during the war. 

In 1777, another draft Avas made upon this town, " for men to 
join the Continental Army under Coh Bai-tlctt." The town im- 
mediately voted to send the men, and joined the Selectmen with 
the commissioned officers, to procure them. 

In December 1777, John Calfe was chosen a " Representa- 
tive to act in the General Assembly to be holden at Exeter, with 
full 2)0iver to transact such measures as the Assembl}^ might 
judge necessary for the public good ; and, also, to choose Dele- 
gates to the Continental Congress." Mr. Calfe was annually 
chosen to represent the town, till our present Constitution was- 
adopted. The unlimited power entrusted to him, speaks volumes 
in favor of his integrity, and of the confidence the people repos- 
ed in him. It also shows, that this town was ready to perform 
its share of the great Revolution to be effected on this Continent. 
Many other towns would not empower their Delegates with full 
authority, from a distrust of the expediency of many of the 
measures then proposed, but Avhich time has proved to have been 
wisely enacted. 

In 1778, a Committee was chosen " to provide for the families 
of those that had gone into the army for the town of Hampstead."^ 
At the annual meeting in 1778, it was voted, even in anticipa- 
tion, " to procure the soldiers that might be called for during 
the year." In 1779, it was voted " to allow those soldiers that 
were for and from this town, something for their losses in their 
retreat from Tianteroga, [Ticonderoga,(?)] in 1777." At a 
special meeting, in May 1779, they voted "to procure the men, 
■(five in number,) then called for, and also to raise more men, if 
called for that year." Again, in July, another meeting was 
called and new measures taken to procure men to join the New- 
Hampshire battalion ; and, also to procure men to go to Rhode 
Island, to join the army there. At this time the paper currency, 
issued by Congress, had depreciated so much, as to be almost 
worthless. The people of Portsmouth met to consider what 



32 

remedy could best be applied. Their consultation resulted in 
fixing a price for all articles of merchandise, which should be 
uniform throughout the State. The Selectmen of Portsmouth 
issued Circulars to the different towns, asking their cooperation. 
At a special meeting, this town " voted to come into the plan 
adopted by Portsmouth, provided three-fourths of the other 
towns should do the same." The adoption of this plan, neces- 
sarily resulted in great pecuniary sacrifices. 

There are many other interesting votes passed during the 
Revolution ;* but enough have been noticed, to show that tliis 
town took an active part in that great struggle. There was no 
time during the war, when it did not furnish its full quota of 
men. Its money was freely given, and its men willingly sent 
forth to fight the battles of a common country. In Rhode 
Island, on the shores of Lake George, and at Crown Point, 
are entombed the ashes of our townsmen. In common with the 
rest of our country, our ancestors were aroused by the msults 
and injuries heaped upon them by England. They fought against 
powerful odds. In the darkest periods of the Revolution, the 
hardy yeomanry flocked around the standard of America, and 
AVi'ested from the hands of our mother land, the power which 
she vainly asserted. In the eloquent language of another,f 
" those were times that tried men's souls, and never, in any age, 
or in any country, did there exist a race of men, whose souls 
were better fitted for the trial. Patient in suffering, firm in ad- 
versity, calm and collected amid the dangers which pressed 
around them, cool in council and brave in battle, they were wor- 
thy of the cause, and the cause was worthy of them." In their 
privations and wrongs, " the sufferers were upheld by that kind 
of holy fortitude, which enabled the christian martyrs to smile 
amidst the flames, and to triumph, even in the agonies of death." 
* * * " Every grade of society, all ages, and both sexes, 
kindled in this sacred competition of patriotism. The Ladies 
of the Colonies, in the dawn, and throughout the whole progress 
of the Revolution, shone Avith preeminent lustre, in this war of 

•There are other votes recorded in the town books, passed during the difficulty with 
France, in the PreaiUency of John Adams. Also siniilai votes, passed during the war of 
1812. 

t W'irl'«L.ife o( Putriclt lifiirv. 



fortitude and self-denial. They renounced, Avithuut a si.^li, the 
\isc of the luxuries and even of the comforts, to -which they had 
liecn accustomed, and felt a nobler pride m appearing dressed 
in the simple productions of their own looms, than they had ever 
experienced from glittering in the brightest ornaments of the 
East." 

If our fathers and mothers did not occupy so prominent a 
place in the great drama of the Revolution, as others who lived 
nearer the scenes of active operations, it was not because they 
lacked brave and patriotic spirits. They contributed their full 
<luota of the honest yeomanry, that composed our bravest troops. 
They freely gave of their fortunes, to promote the sacred cause ; 
they protected, from hunger and danger, the wives and little 
ones of those who had gone manfully forth to the fight. In that 
day, America knew no distinction of rank or person. It was a 
common cause, for the common good. The humljlest soldier iu 
that war, if animated with the same patriotic feelings, th'servcs 
and receiver the same grateful remembrance from posterity. 
What though his name be lost ! What though every trace of his 
life's history be destroyed ! He performed avcII his part in life, 
and the influence of his acts will descend through all time, and 
incite other men, in other ages, to the same noble struggles to 
become free, even as now the coAvering millions of Europe are 
striving to break the tyranny of power ; — even as the nolile 
Hungarians are contending for life and liberty against the allied 
despotic powers of Austria and Russia. 

It is proper to notice, though, from necessity, briefl}", the prin- 
cipal men of our town. 

Richard Hazzen came from Haverhill, Mass., and was among 
the first settlers. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1717. 
In 1741, he was one of the principal Surveyors in running the 
line between this State and Massachusetts. He died suddenly 
in October, 1754. He was a useful and trustworthy citizen 
and was so esteemed by his fellow townsmen. He was so Avell 
known and prominent, that he is mentioned on the records sim- 
ply as Mr. Hazzen, his christian name being omitted. 

Daniel Little, Es(|., also came from Haverhill. By the au- 
thority given him hi the town charter, he called the first toAvn 

.5 



;34 

meeting, for the purpose of organizing, lie was often chosen 
Selectman, and placed upon important committees, and was a 
valuable and influential citizen. He died in 1777, at the good 
old age of 86, lamented by all his fellow townsmen. His de- 
scendants compose a numerous and valuable part of our present 
population. His son Samuel was a Justice of the Peace, often 
one of the Selectmen, and frequently filled other important offices 
in town. Another son. Rev. Daniel Little, was the first minister 
of Kennebunk, Maine ; and preached in this town before the 
settlement of Mr. True. He was a member of the American 
Academy of Arts and Sciences, and had the honorary degree 
of A. M. conferred upon him at Harvard College. 

Gen. Jacob Bayley resided in this town several years. He 
came from Newbury, Mass., and was a very enterprising man. 
After living here several years, he Avent as a leading man and 
settled in Newbury, Vt., which town he named after his native 
place. He was distinguished as an officer in the Revolutionary 
War. 

Capt. John Hazzen, who was born in Haverhill, Mass., and 
was nephew to Richard Hazzen, also, was a man of enterprise. 
After living in this town several years, he removed to settle in 
Haverhill of this State, which place he named after the place of 
his nativity. 

Hon. Charles Johnson was another very worthy man, who 
went from this place with Capt. Hazzen, as one of the first and 
most valuable men in that company. 

Hon. John Calfe, born in Newbury, Mass., came to this town 
from Kingston, N. H. He was a descendant of the celebrated 
Robert Calfe, a merchant of Boston, who so strenuously withstood 
the measures of the government in putting supposed witches to 
death, in Salem. He was a Deacon in the Church at Hampstead 
thirty-five years, — a Justice of the Peace twenty-nine years, and 
of the Quorum throughout the State thirteen years, — Judge of 
the Court of Common Pleas twenty-five years, — and Clerk of 
the House of Representatives twenty-five years. He annually 
represented this and two neighboring towns in the General As- 
sembly, during the War of the Revolution, at a time when he 
was uud6r thirty years of age. He was also a member of the 



3') 

Committee of Safety, -with discretionary power to transact all 
State affairs during the recess of the Assembly. At the age of 
eighteen, he was an under officer on the shores of Lake Cham- 
plain, in the war against the French and Indians. He was also 
an officer in the Revolutionary Army. He was Secretary of the 
Convention for forming the State Constitution, and of the Con- 
vention for ratifying the Federal Constitution. He was once 
chosen State Treasurer, but did not accept the office. In his 
memoir it is said, " that no man ever more sacredly regarded 
the will of the people, Wvaw he. In all his pubho transactions, 
his conduct was regulated, not by the views of party men, but 
by what he conceived to be the wish of the Avhole people." He 
died in 1808, in the 68th year of his age. On the meeting of 
the Legislature the next month, it was voted, in testimony of 
respect for his memory, that the members of the House would 
wear black crape on the left arm during the session. " To the 
close of his life, he sustained a fair, unblemished character, 
which envy or mahce Avould scarce dare impeach."* 

There is not time to notice, at large, other prominent men. 
A mere mention of their names must suffice. Among those 
whom we hold in grateful remembrance, are Dea. Peter East- 
man, for twenty-five years Town Clerk ; Dea. Benjamin Kim- 
ball ; Capt. William Marshall, the first Representative from this 
town under the new Constitution ; Dea. Timothy Goodwin ; 
Lieut. Peter Morse ; Dea. Samuel Currier ; Daniel Little, Esq., 
recently deceased ; Dea. Moses Little ; Dea. Job Kent ; John 
True, Esq. ; Col. Jonathan Little ; Reuben Harriman ; Col. 
Benjamin Emerson ; Dea. John Emerson ; Bartholomew Heath ; 
Jonathan Eastman; Jesse Gordon, Esq. ; and Isaac Noyes, Esq., 
deceased the present year. There are the names of many others, 
in the history of the town, whom we would like to notice, and 
who have equal claims upon our remembrance. But time for- 
bids us to delay. Nor is it necessary to recite their histories. 
We hold their acts m grateful remembrance. The mfluence of 
their well spent hves is felt by us to-day. Their love of order 
and religion, their veneration for things sacred, their public spirit, 

* The preceding account of the prominent citizens is condensed from Mr. Kelly's 
Skdtcli ef Hampstead, and from the History of Judge f'alfo. Information derived from 
other SBBrccs, Ims been added. 



worthy of imitation in tlicse days, their ;icnorosity towards o!)- 
jects of charity, and their friendly relations in neighborhoods 
and among each other — all their noble traits of character com- 
mand our highest veneration. 

To the memory of the venerable man who so recently left this 
world, as we trust, for a better one, it is fitting that we pay 
more than a passing tribute. 

E-ev. John Kelly was born in Amesbury, Mass., Februa- 
ry 22, 17G3 ; he was graduated at Dartmouth College in 
1791, and ordained at Hampstead, December 5,1792. There 
was no dissenting voice against his settlement, although for the 
ten years previous, there had been no settled minister here, and 
many ineffectual attempts had been made to procure one. The 
salary voted to him was sixty pounds a year and the use of the 
Parsonage. " Also ten cords of wood a year for ten years, and 
if he shall not find that sufficient, liberty to cut more from the 
Parsonage." When ten years should expire, they were to give 
him fifteen cords a A^ear. They also voted " to give him two 
cows and six sheep, when called for." To the call and offer of 
the town, he returned, with his usual fi-ankness, an affirmative 
answer ;* an answer, too, which breaths the spirit of evangelical 
piety. 

It is worthy of mention, that I\Ir. Kelly out lived every indi- 
vidual who was a member of his church at the time he became 
connected with it. Of all the men, that helped settle him, only 
two survive.! It was his lot to see the rest depart, one after 
another, to Ihe spirit 'iana, to 'lind himself left ahnost alone, to 
mourn their departure, and to witness the extinguishment of the - 
« objects of their ardent hopes and higfi endeavor," 
The result of his labors is Icnown to us all. Scandal never 
moved its tongue to defame his character, or oppugn his motives. 
In private life he Avas distinguished for mildness and dignity ; 
in the discharge of his public duties, for meekness, for practical 
knowledge in life and in the scriptures, for sound judgment and 
correct taste. Although all here present may not have agreed 
with him in rehgious behef, yet all will unite in awarding to him 

* See Appendix, It. 

f Capt. Jonntlian C. Litllr an J Mr. Ilezekiali Ayer. 



the best intentions in all his actions. First convinced of tlie 
correctness of his opinions, he endeavored mildly, l)ut firmly, to 
convince others. At the bed-s^ide of the sick, and in the house 
of mourning, he was a freiiucnt visitor. Conscious of the duties 
and responsibilities of his profcesion, it was his highest endeavor 
to live a fit example of a Godly and Christian ]Minister. To the 
■dying, he strove to point out the way to eternal life ; — to the 
afflicted, the consolations of religion ; — and to all, the importance 
of obedience, and implicit faith hi the Avisdom of our Creator. 

To him death was a welcome messenger. He was jjreparcd 
to go " through the valley and shadow of death witliout fear." 
In ripe old age, after almost half a century spent in the work of 
the ministry, he went down to the grave, beloved and lamented 
by all Avho survived him. 

We have thus, fellow-citizens, run rapidly over our history, 
down to the commencement of the present century. The events 
that have since transpired, are of so recent occurrence, that 
they need not now be reviewed. 

It is but little more than a century, since the first white man 
pressed his feet upon our soil ; and yet how little do we know 
of the eventful lives of our fathers ! The place of their first 
abode contains hardly a relic of their habitations. In the im- 
provements of the age, and in the progress of the arts, we have 
lost sight of their customs, and discarded the things so famihar 
to them. The ruins, yet to be seen, disclose to our minds, 
scenes of deep and thrilling interest. In the infancy of this 
settlement, what interesting topics of conversation serve to be- 
guile the weary hours of evening ; — what joys and sorrows oc- 
curred to break the monotony of their lives ; — with what an- 
guish the whole household watched for the return of the absent 
father or son ; — what fear of the prowling wolf, or lurking sav- 
age filled their minds Avearied with watching — we have not time 
enquire. When, in the long and dark night of the Revolution, 
so many of their young men had gone forth to battle, with what 
painful suspense did each family wait for news from the absent 
ones. And when the painful intelligence came, that the eldest and 
favorite son of their beloved pastor, had fallen in battle, with 
what rapidity did the intelligence pass from house to house. — 



08 

What iiicreasoil anxiety did parents feel, lest the next messenger 
should announce that a beloved friend had fallen in battle. What 
sleepless nights did they pass in tearful thought of the absent 
ones, the bewildered imagination picturing a fond husband or 
son suflfering the privations of a life in the camp, perchance, ly- 
ing wounded upon the field of battle, with no friend to bathe his 
his burning temples, or to bring a cup of water to cool his parch- 
ing thirst. Or again in frightful dreams, beholding his corse, 
stretched lifeless, upon the battle plains, the cold moon beams 
shining into his features, fixed in death. 

For a brief hour, we have attempted to live in the past only. 
We have followed our ancestors, from the earliest period in their 
history to the latest acts of their lives. We have suifered with 
them in their troubles, and rejoiced Avith them in their joys. We 
have seen them, a hardy, enterprising and patient race, strug- 
gling against want, and privations, and the calamities of war, 
and all the evils incident to new settlements ; and we have seen 
them too, though lacking the luxuries of wealth, and the refine- 
ments of polished society, exerting their influence, and laboring 
in the cause of religion, and of education, and those benevolent 
institutions so common to New England, that they have made it 
renowned, the world over, for virtue and enterprise. We have 
not found them without their faults. But " their faults were 
usually virtues carried too far ;" " faults partly belonging to the 
times,but more the efiect of strong feelings without the advantages 
of early disciphne. At the same time w^e have seen in them 
the rudiments of real refinement, Avarm, kind, and gentle feehngs, 
— and specimens of pohteness worthy of the patriarchal age." 

But they are gone forever from these places. Their ashes 
are entombed in yonder burial-place. They are gone, and with 
them all they loved or feared, the objects so dear to them in life, 
and the temptations they labored so hard to remove. But they 
yet speak to us. Tlieir example lives, and to-day brightens the 
sun of our existence with its living influence. 

There comes up the thought, full of meaning, what will be the 
condition of our beloved town, a century to come ? At the next 
Centennial Celebration, who will be the actors ? Time alone 
can disclose the fortune that awaits those who shall come after 



lis. I>ut Ave know wlio will not l)c actors then. Wc shall be 
" gathered to our fathers." The sun will shine as bri<j;htly then 
upon these beautiful places ; these w'aters vnW sparkle before his 
presence reflecting a thousand flashing rays ; these trees will 
aiford the same dehghtful shade ; and the earth yield its annual 
return to the toiling husbandman. But another generation will 
occupy our places. The names of many of us will be no longer 
known. But the influence of our livesy will be feltJ:hough we J 
be forgotten in our graves. ^ 

Nor can we tell what mighty changes will then have been 
effected. Within the last year and a half, revolution after revo- 
lution, in the old world, has taken place in such rapid succession, 
that the mind awakes to the startling reality, scarcely able to 
comprehend the sudden change. The King of the French, ac- 
knowledged the wealthiest man in the world, the wisest sovereign 
that ever sat upon the throne of France, and thought to be 
securely seated upon that throne, the " Citizen King of 1830," 
is deposed, and in the meanest garb of disguise, flees before an 
outraged populace to the British Isles for refuge. France, the 
scene of so much blood-shed, and of so many revolutions, raises 
the standard of liberty, and other nations, catcliing the sound of 
the shouts of freemen, in a day, compel the jSIonarchs of Europe 
to loosen the reims of power ; and thrones that had stood firmly 
for ages, they make to tremble upon their foundations. Austria, 
the land of tyranny and oppression, compels her Emperor to 
abdicate. Prince Metternich, so long the crafty and subtle 
Prime Minister to a powerful Monarch, whose iron will and sel- 
fish heart had so long directed the affairs of a nation, whose every 
thought and act had been directed to the establishment of des- 
potism and the spread of Popery, suddenly finds himself un- 
able to stem the current of popular indignation, and is compelL 
ed to retire from the high post he had so basely prostituted, to 
muse in sohtude upon his past life, and commune Avith his own 
corrupt heart. The Pope, whose election was hailed by the 
whole civilized world as the harbinger of a better administration 
of the affairs of Rome, is hardly seated upon his throne, before 
he " flees in disguise from his pontifical halls, and St. Peter's 
and the Vatican resovmd Avith the triumphal shouts of an awak- 



40 

ciicd nation." The seed of liberty, sown l)y our fathers in 
the days of the Revolution, is springin;^ up in e\'ery part of 
Europe, and promises to convert those despotic powers and mon- 
archies into new and poAverful RepubUcs ; the voice of the peo- 
ple, so long stifled behind the throne, is begining to reach the 
ears of Kings and Emperors, and will ere long assert their rights 
in the majesty of their strength. Hungary is struggling against 
the most unholy alliance ever entered into to suppress the ef- 
forts of a people to liecomc free. She has nobly flung to the 
breeze the banner of liberty, and is bravely contending against 
the most powerful odds. We wait with the most intense anxie- 
ty for the next news that shall tell us of the fate of a people who 
are imitating our example, and hold in such veneration the mem- 
ory of our Washington. 

" On the Western Continent, the Saxons con(iuer and dis- 
member Mexico. California outshines the wealth of India. — 
The disloyal Canadians insult the representative of majesty," 
and the United States are extending their borders over a whole 
Continent. 

In the physical world, within a score of years, by the dis- 
covery of the application of steam to machinery, we are carried 
across the waters with a speed and safety, until recently deemed 
unattainable. The most distant parts of our country are con- 
nected by iron rails reaching out and extending in every direc- 
tion. The hourly rate of speed has gone up from five miles to 
thirty, and even in some cases to fifty ; and the most sanguine 
are not deemed visionary, when they predict that it will soon be 
increased to an hundred. The electric Avire, with the wings of 
the lightning, conveys every moment, from shore to shore, a new 
subject for thought or action. 

Within the last few years, it has been our fortune to witness 
these magic changes. Each new year will open to us some new 
improvement in the world of inventions, and a centur}'' hence, 
the historian of that time will record the discovery of wonders 
far surpassing any conception which we are able to form. 

The interest with which the annual return of this day is 
awaited, induces me to ask your indulgence for a few moments 
lon;rer. 



41 

This day, the joyful shout, Ame?'ioa is free, spreads from 
State to State, from toAvn to town, and from house to house, till 
the whole land rings with the glad voice, and echo upon echo 
comes back from every mountain and hill-side, America is free ! 
On our mountains and on our plains, on our noble rivers and on 
the great waters, a thousand voices unite in the shouts of liberty, 
and a thousand echoes send back the soft notes of the sone-s of 
Freedom. The deep, shady glens and beautiful groves resound 
to the merry voices of thoughtless, innocent children. The busy 
streets are filled with throngs of freemen, self-divested of the 
cares and occupations of hfe. " Eloquence, with burning lips 
and glowing tongue," portrays those magnificent triumphs, which 
history has already written for posterity. 

Its early dawning is awaited with scarce restrained impatience y 
to be ushered in with firing of 'HU^ cannons, ringing of bells, and 
every demonstration of joy. It is celebrated by every class of 
Americans, — by every society and organization,— by civic pro- 
cessions, — by floral gatherings, — ^by orations, — by military re- 
views, — each and all, with the joy and enthusiasm, which Amer- 
icans only can feel. The going-down of the sun is the signal 
for the gathering of thousands, to close the festivities of the 
day with every exhibition of art which the pyrotechnist can dis- 
play. Amid the blazing of rockets, and the glittering of fire- 
works, rivalling the stars in splendor and in beauty, end the 
3 varied scenes of this Anniversary. 

We eecm to finger around the scenes of that dark hour 
m our nation's history, when every hope of the future was 
involved in doubt and disappointment. The spirit of the 
past carries us back a period of seventy-three years. We look 
upon the devoted, self-denying men who composed the memora- 
ble Congress of 1776. We consider the thoughts which heaved 
their breasts ; mark the alternations of hope and fear, of confi- 
dence and doubt, which reveal the agonies within. We note 
the solemn stillness that rests upon them, — the deep and absorb- 
ing interest, growing more intense. The Declaration of Inde- 
pendence is read. Incensed at the wrongs inflicted upon 
America, they speak of the shedding of their brothers' blood at 
Lexington, and Concord, and Bunker Hill, in the language of 

fi 



42 

outraged manhood, and vow to avenge the death of their martyr 
countrymen. " Eloquence is poured forth from inexhaustible 
fountains. It assumes every variety of hue, and form, and 
motion, wliich can delight or persuade, instruct or astonish. 
Now it is the limpid rivulet, sparkling down the mountain's side 
and winding its silver course between margins of moss ; — anon 
it is the angry ocean, chafed by the tempest, hanging its billows 
with deafening clamors among the crackling shrouds, or hurling 
them in sublime defiance at the storm that frowns above." 

It is finished ; they declare our country free, and in support 
of that Declaration, " pledge their lives, their fortunes and their 
sacred honor." Lives and fortunes were sacrificed in its defence, 
but our Country's honor was sustained. 

Now war is raging throughout our native land. Hostile ai-mies 
of one and the same name, Uc^od and language, are arrayed for 
battle. Years of darkness and doubt succeed, lighted only by 
some struggling rays of hope, and the fires of war. But dark- 
ness and doubt pass at length away, and day dawns upon the 
long, dark night of the Revolution. 

More than half a century has rolled away, since the glory of 
that bright morning broke upon us, and another scene is disclosed. 
Where swept the tide of war, now all is calm, and fresh and still. 

The roll of musketry and the clash of arms are hushed, and 
the pillow of repose is pressed in quiet. " The busy town, and 
the niral cottage, the lowing herd, the cheerful hearth, the vil-tA«-, 
school, the rising spire, the solemn bell, the voice of prayer, and 
the hymn of praise, brighten and adorn American life and 
privileges." 

You have had imperfectly sketched to you, fellow townsmen, 
the most prominent scenes in the history of our native town ; 
and the character of this day required that some allusion should 
be made to our Country's proud career. 

We have performed a grateful duty to the memory of our 
ancestors. They sought this land when it was a wilderness. 
The name of Puritan, Avhich was fastenod on them as a term of 
reproach, they meekly accepted, and so adorned with the even 
tenor of their lives, and with the rectitude and consistency of 
their charactci's, that it has become more honorable than that of 



43 

king or ruler. The American traces liis descent from tlie emi- 
grants in the May-Flower, with greater satisfaction, than if he 
could, vdth indisputable certainty, trace his ancestral stream 
back to the proudest noblemen of the most chivalrous age of 
England. 

American and New England privileges, have they left us. 
They struggled long and hard to establish these free institutions 
of ours. And when they bequeathed them to us, they also en- 
joined it upon us to preserve and maintain them untarnished, 
and hand them down to those who shall come after us, increased 
instruments of good. 

Let us so discharge our duties to our Country, to each 
other, to ourselves, and to our God, that when in one hundred 
years from this day, the people of Hampstead shall again assem- 
ble to commemorate the Centeimial Aniversary of their Incorpo- 
ration, and the memory of their fathers, we may have the same 
grateful remembrance in their hearts, that our ancestors this day 
occupy in ours. But if through human error, or party strife, 
we suflFer these golden privileges to become lost, — this sacred 
legacy to become corrupted in our hands, — in the bitter moments 
of reflection and regret, there will come to our minds the con- 
soling tinith that, 

" The spirit cannot always sleep in dust, 
Whose essence is ethecral ; they may try 1, 
To darken and degrade it ; it may rust 
Dimly awhile, but cannot wholly die ; 
And when it wakens, it will send its fire 
Intenser forth, and higher." 



APPENDIX. 



PROCEEDINGS 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 



AT 



HAMPSTEAD, N. H. 



During the winter of 1848-9, the propriety of celebrating 
the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the 
Town of Hampstead, was suggested by many of the inhabitants 
of the town. As the anniversary day fell on the 19th of Janu- 
ary, in the midst of the most inclement season of the year, and 
as it was deemed desu-able to have as many of the natives and 
former citizens, " who had strayed away from the old home- 
stead," present, as possible, it was determined to defer taking 
any steps towards the proposed celebration, till the return of 
warm weather. 

In the following May, the subject was again proposed, and 
was suggested to many of the citizens and met their cordial ap- 
probation. On the Sabbath of May 27th, Rev. ]\Ir. Bartley, 
according to request, alluded to the subject and gave notice to 
all who felt disposed, to meet at the Centre School House on the 
^londay evening following. 

Agi'ceably to this notice, several of the citizens assembled at 
the above mentioned time and place. The following is the 
Record of the Secretary. 

The meeting was organized by appointing Mr. Moody H. 
BiiicKETT, Chairman, and E. 11. L. Gibson, Secretary. 

Voted, To celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the In- 
corporation of this town, and that the exercises be on the 4th 
of July next, in the " Davis Grove." 

On motion, a Committee was appointed by the Chair, to nomi- 
nate a Conmiittcc of An-au;'ements. 



48 

The Chair appointed Dr. Josiah C. Easthiaii, Messrs. Caleb 
Moulton and Richard K. Brickett. 

The said Committee reported the names of the following gen- 
tlemen to constitute a Committee of Arrangements, viz : 

Messrs. Isaac Smith, Amos Buck, Christopher P. Ayer, 
Nelson Ordway, Caleb Moulton, Moody H. Brickett, Henry 
Putnam, William Clark,* Hiram Nichols.* 

And the gentlemen, reported to the meeting, were elected. 

Voted, To give the Committee of Arrangements power to 
add to their number, if they find it necessary. 

Voted, To give the Committee discretionary power in making 
arrangements for the proposed Celebration. 

The meeting was then adjourned. 

E. H. L. GIBSON, Secretary/. 

The Committee of Arrangements met on the following day, 
and elected the following gentlemen as additional members, viz : 

Messrs. Tristram Little, Frederick A. Pike, Joseph G. Brown, 
Stephen S. Shannon, Ebenezer Hoyt, Samuel Morse,* Jacob E. 
Eastman. 

The Committee of Arrangements held meetings from time to 
time, as the case required. At their first session, it was voted 
to celebrate the day by an address appropriate to the occasion, 
by a procession, by a pic-nic in the Grove, and by other exer- 
cises usual at such celebrations. It was voted to invite 
Frederick Emerson, Esq., of Boston, to deliver the address. 
In reply to the invitation of the Committee, jNIr. Emerson wrote 
as follows : 

"It is truly gratifying' to me, to be ihuc kindly remembered in the 
place of my natirity, and I feel deeply obliged to the Committee for tho 
honor they have chosen to confer upon me. The occasion of the cele- 
bration is, indeed, full of interest, and, if the circumstances which sur- 
round me at this time would allow me to accept the invitation, I would 
do so with much pleasure. But I feel compelled to decline. I have 
made such engagrements of my time, for the thirty days that will inter- 
vene between this time and the 4th of July, that I should be wholly un- 
able to make the historical research, necessary for the address. Although 
I must thus decline the office of making the address of the day, I shall 
look forward with much pleasure to the celebration, for it is my intention 
to be present and listen to some other son of Hampstead, and once more 
shake the hands of my fellow townsmen." 

The Committee then extended an invitation to Mr. Isaac W. 
Smith, of Manchester, and expressed an earnest desire that he 
woiild consent to deliver the address, as the time was wearing 
away when it would be impossible to secure any one, and it was 
desirable that the address should be pronounced by a native of 

* Refused to act. 



49 

the to\ni. An affirmative reply \yas given by liim, at the same 
time, stating that it "vvould be impossible to go into any very ex- 
tensive search among old records and papers, both from the short- 
ness of the time and from press of other duties. 

The Committee of Arrangements invited the Ladies to as- 
semble and make what provision they might think proper, in re- 
lation to the duties more properly coming under their supervision. 

At a meeting of the Ladies, held in accordance with the above 
invitation, it was voted, that families in town be invited to con- 
tribute provisions for the tables. It was also voted, to decorate 
the Grove with flowers and evergreen. The following Ladies 
were chosen a Committee to carry out these propositions. 

Misses Esther Bartley, INIary C. Smith, Elvira Ordway, Susan 
E. Putnam, INIary A. Garland, Elizabeth A. Little, Mary J. 
Heath, Almira B. Sargent, Clara A. Kent, Marj A. Brown, 
Mary E. MerrUl, Philena W. Hoyt, Clara A. Colby, Martha J. 
Smith, Louisa E. Kent, Susan E. Johnson, Mrs. Betsey A. 
Abbott, Mrs. Mary J. Atwood, jMisses Betsey H. Davis, Sarah 
Morse. 

Great credit is due to both Committees for the exertions they 
made to make the preparations for the proposed celebration, 
every way worthy of the occasion. The Ladies of the town 
contributed bountifully to supply the tables with refreshments. 
The Grove, for a few days previous to the 4th, resounded with 
the merry voices of fair Ladies and gallant Gentlemen, while 
they vied with each other, in decorating the place with all the 
attractions which taste could display or ingenuity devise. The 
gentlemen contributed liberally to defray the expenses incident 
to the celebration, and every arrangement was made which was 
desirable in a quiet town, where the people are disinclined to 
show, and are content with a participation in the ordinary oc- 
currences of life. 

On Monday, the 2d, the weather was sultry, with occasional 
showers, which cooled the air, and gave promise of a fair day 
on AVednesday. Tuesday was a cool but pleasant day, the pre- 
cursor of a more delightful one to follow. On Wednesday 
morning the sun rose in all the splendor of a summer's morning. 
Ere he made his appearance from bej^ond the eastern hills, the ^/ / 
day Avas ushered in by the ringing of* bell/ and the discharge of "7^^ '^^ 
cannon. The firmg of the national ^alure was mider the direc- 
tion of Lieut. Simon Dow, who deserves great praise for the 
care and promptitude he manifested in the discharge of his duties. 
The spot selected by him was upon the hill near the Grove, and 
from its elevation was admirably chosen. The booming of the 
guns across the still waters of the ponds, and the thousand 



echoes awakened amoDi^ the distant hills, reminded all that the 
day was one of nnusual interest to the quiet town of llampstead. 
Early in the morning, the finishing touches were given to the 
Grove, and the tables bountifully laden with the luxuries of life^ 
A large stage Avas built, in front of the seats arranged for the 
audience, decorated with evergreen and flowers, and ornamented 
■with beautiful devices. On the front of the stage, in letters, 
wrought with roses, and arranged in the form of an arc, was the 
Avord " I^'DEPENDENCE ;" and immediately under it, wrought 
in the same Avay, the figures " 1776." Over the speaker's 
desk, were suspended the figures " 1749," wrought in white 
rose buds, and standing prominent from the centre of a large 
boquet. 

Mr. Tristram Little generously contributed more than a 
thousand roses, on the morning of the 4th ; and the citizens- 
from the east part of the town also contributed another large 
number. 

In a celebration of this character, there Avill always be a small 
number of persons, upon whom will devolve the performance of 
the greater share of the labor. Upon the present occasion, 
however, each seemed to strive in out-doing the others. When, 
all Avere so deeply interested, it would be invidious to point out 
particular individuals by name. The people acted in a spuit of 
unanimity and harmony seldom equalled. 

The officers of the day, selected by the Committee of Ar- 
rangements were as follows : 

JOHN ORDWAY, Esq., President. 

James Calep, Esq., Dea. Joshua Eastman, Dea. Jonathan 
Kent, Moses Hoyt, Esq., Andrew B. Marshall, Esq., Mr. 
John Little, Mr. Horace Bailey, Mr. James IlADLEYy 
Vice Presidents. 

Early in the forenoon the streets began to fill up Avith strangers 
and citizens. The " Hampstead Light Infantry Company," un- 
der command of Capt. John P. Stickney, performed escort duty; 
by the steadiness of their movements, exactness in the perform- 
ance of their evolutions, and by their gentlemanly and soldier- 
like bearing, they elicited the praise of all. They Avould compare 
favorably with many Independent Companies in cities or larger 
toAVTis, where opportunities for di'ill and exercise are more favor- 
able and frequent. The " Atkinson and jMethuen Brass Band" 
discoursed their music upon the occasion. Their reputation i& 
too Avell known to require any praise at this time. They A\'ere, 
if possible, more than usually successful. 

According to previous notice, the people assembled in the Old 
]\Ieeting House, and at ten o'clock, the house Avas filled to over- 



51 

iio-sving. The Invited Guests from abroad, together with the 
Officers of the day, assembled at Spiggot Hall, and were escort- 
ed to the Old Meeting House, hj Capt. Stickney's Company. 

A procession was then formed, to marcli to the Davis Grove, 
tinder the direction of 

Jesse Ayer, CJdrf Marshal. 

Amos Ring, Jacob E. Eastman, Simon Merrill, Edward R. 
Noyes, Francis V. Dow, George W. Eastman, Anskta^it Mar- 
shah. 

The procession was formed at the Old JNIeeting House in the 
following order, viz ; 

Chief Marshal. 

Music. 

Hampstead Light Infant^3^ 

3IarshaJ. Youth and Gentlemen. Marshal. 

Marshal. President and Orator of the Day. Marshal. 

Clerg}anen. 

Invited Guests from aliroad. 

Marshal. Ladies. Marshal. 

Ladies' Committee of Arrangements. 

Gentlemen's Committee of Arrangements. 

On reaching the Grove, the Military and Gentlemen opened 
to the right and left and the procession then passed in. After 
the audience were seated and every arrangement completed, the 
President announced the exercises in the following 

ORDER. 

I. Music, by the Band. 

II. Reading of the ToAvn Charter, by Mr. Caleb Moulton. 
HI. Invocation and Reading of the Scriptures,* by Rev. 

Joseph Smith, of Newport, R. I. 

IV. Anthem, by the Choir. 

V. Prayer, by Rev. Jesse Pa(/e, of Atkinson, N. H. 

VI. Reading of the Declaration of Independence, by Mr. 
Ezekiel H. L. G-ibson. 

VII. Music, by the Band. 

VIII. Address, by Mr. Isaac W. Smith . 

IX. xVnthem, by the Choir. 

X. Prayer, by Rev. J. M. 0. Bartley. 

After these exercises had been gone through, the wants of the 
body were attended to. 

Great credit is due to the Ladies of Hampstead for the abun- 
dant supply of the good things of this life, furnished by them for 

* Omitted. Air. Smith, a native of Hampstead waj prerented from being present. 



the tables. Thej entered fully into the mterest of the day, 
and contributed in no small degree to its enjoyment. 

When the luxuries of the table had been fully discussed, 
and the opportunity embraced for the interchange of friendly 
greetings and recognitions, the people attended to the reading 
of the following letters from natives of the town who were una- 
ble to attend. 



Letter from "Benjamin D. Emerson, Esq., of Roxbury, Mass. 

Jamaica Plain, July 3d, 1849. 

Dear Sir: — I have delayed till this late period to answer your gratify- 
ing invitation to be present at the approaching Centennial Celebration 
of my native town, and participate "in the festivities of the occasion," 
vainly hoping it would be in my power to accept it. There are few- 
things that impart a warmer or more thrilling glow to an old man's bosom, 
than the manifestation of kindness and respectful consideration from his 
younger brethren ; and I cannot too feelingly express my thanks for 
being thus courteously remembered by your committee. Nothing would 
afford me more satisfaction, than to spend the day with the good people 
of my native town, partake of their hospitality, and reciprocate congrat- 
ulations with all; with the old, whose reminiscences reach far back into 
by-gone days, and also with the young, on whom, (under Providence,) 
rest the responsibilities of the present, and the destinies of the future 
" weal or woe," of the good old town of Ilampstcad. 

No spot, in this wide world, is so dear to me, as that where I first in- 
haled the vital air, and first looked out upon this beautiful world; where 
stood those venerated edifices, the School House and the Meeting House; 
in one of which, we were taught'the rudiments of Letters, in the other, 
our duties to our God and our fellow men ; and lastly, where repose the 
sacred ashes of my beloved parents. 

May the choicest of Heaven's blessings be bestowed and rest upon 
Hampstead and its inhabitants. May peace and social harmony ever 
dwell in your midst. May smiling health prevail in all your habitations. 
May prosperity attend all your laudable enterprises. May your children, 
from generation to generation, as they, in succession, rise up, attain to 
higher and higher excellence, drink more and more copiously from the 
fountains of Wisdom, of Truth, and of Goodness. And as they, from 
time to time, go forth and mingle with the world, may they so deport 
themselves, as to reflect honor upon the place of their nativity. 
Very respectfully and truly your obliged friend and servant, 

B. D. EMERSON. 

IsAAe Smith, Esq., 

Chairman of Committee of Arrangements. 



Letter from Mr. Lorenzo Kent, of Woodstock, Vt. 

Woodstock, June 30, 1849. 

Dear Sir : — Your letter of the 20th inst., came duly to hand, and I re- 
gret exceedingly, that my engagements are such as to render it impos- 
sible for me to comply with your kind invitation, in regard to the coming 
4th of July. The time, and the object of your proposed celebration 
awaken in the heart of every true lover of these our happy and peaceful 



homes, the livpliest feeling-s of the human heart. Wo remenibnr those 
days of labor, privation and suffering-, tin-oiigh which our forefathers 
passed, that they might secure for lis, their children, the joys of a free 
and happy country. It is our duty and our privilege, to preserve, to 
cherish and to improve our free institutions, for our children, and our chil- 
dren's children. 

With much respect, I am your servant, 

L. KENT. 
To Isaac Smith, Esq., 

Chairman of Committee of Arrangements. 



Letter from Mr. E. H. Little, of Boston, Mass. 

Boston, July 3, 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Arrangevients : 

Dear Sir: — I received your letter of invitation under date of June 
19th, to unite with the citizens of Hampstead in their Centennial Cele- 
bration on the 4lh instant. 

In your communication, you refer to me as one having "strayed away 
from the old Homestead." This is true. I did stray away and for several 
years thereafter I became somewhat a roving- character, floating about 
from the Bay of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico; but finding the old 
adage to be true, that a "rolling stone gathereth no moss," I came to the 
conclusion that I must settle down somewhere if the moss would stick; 
and now I find myself identified with the interest and feelings of the 
citizens of Boston. 

It is now nearly thirty-three years since I left my native town of 
Hampstead, during which time I have only visited it occasionally, and 
even then my stay has usually been very short. 

The business of the town has changed so materially, especially in the 
mechanical branches, that I find but few attractions of interest there ; 
still, the houses, the ponds, the hills and valleys remain the sam.e, and 
a few familiar faces, Avhose locks have whitened with age, that call up 
to mind the pleasant reminiscences of by gone days — the patriot Fathers 
of the town. 

Of their sons and daughters, companions of my early days, where are 
they ? When I look around and enquire for them, I am told they are 
mostly gone, — and but few remain to honor their parents and gladden 
their hearts in the evening of life. 

I regret that I cannot be with you to participate in the festivities of 
the occasion, but I will give you a sentiment. 

JVew Hampshire — Distinguished for the production and growth of her 
sons, and Massachusetts for their nourishment and support — namely, her 
Webster, her Emersons, and her Mason — besides the Little Fry. 
I am, very respectfully, your ob't serv't, 

E. H. LITTLE. 



Extract from a letter written by Rev. Henry True, of Union, 
Me., to his sister in Hampstead, and read upon the occasion. 

" Tell Mr. Smith and others of the Committee, that I feel very sensi- 
bly their kind invitation to attend the Centennial Celebration. I should 
be much delighted to be present, if circumstances, and the state of my 
health rendered it suitable. I will be present in spirit, although not in 



54 

hndv- It seems tint the town was inforporatou but throe years when our 
father was ordained. 

I must let the " royal oak" ' be my representative at the festival. It is 
the oldest inhabitant of the town, and if his sight and hearing were good, 
he would give more history, than all the other inhabitants. It has had 
several of its limbs amputated by the Indians, but he has not lost his 
scalp. His head and shoulders tov/er aloft and buffet the fleet wings of 
time. 

The royul oak, it was tlie tree, 
Tliat swiftly I ran dewn to see, 

Tlic first time I had trowsers on. 

It has heard Latin and Greek conned over numberless times. On the 
branches, Samuel once shot pigeons, and many squirrels lost their lives 
by climbing it. If he could speak English, he would tell how our father 
went out two campaigns in theold French War, was at Crown Point, at 
Fort Edward at the German Flats, and went up Lake George with bat- 
teaux, and first landed on the shore, and shot the first enemy, a rattle- 
snake. 

Our father was a strong Whig in the Revolutionary struggle, as al- 
most all clergymen were. He had great influence among the people, in 
keeping up the liberty spirit. He would use no foreign tea, but some- 
times domestic, such as Judy Goodwin sent down from Ilailstown in a 
long birch box. He once wrote apiece of poetry against the use of tea, 
and published it. When he built a cider mill, he told Dea. Goodwin he 
would not shingle it till he knew whether Lord North would have it or 
not. He let his, and probably his favorite son go to the taking of Bur- 
goyne, and afterwards he went with Capt. Gile to Providence, where he 
lost his life, much to the grief of his parents; but they consoled them- 
selves with the justice of the cause in which he was engaged. Jabez 
also went out as a surgeon, on board a privateer. 

But I am reminded that I have not time to trouble you further." 



Letter from Hon. Samuel Marshall, of Deny, N. H., member 
of the N. H. Senate, District No. 3. 

Derry, June 30th, 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Arrangements : 

I have received with pleasure your letter of invitation to be present on 
the 4th of July, at the celebration in commemoration of events which 
have transpired in the town of Hampstead since its settlement. It would 
give me the greatest pleasure to listen to the Historical Address to be 
delivered on the occasion, to participate in the other appropriate exercises 
of the day, and once more to meet those citizens of my native tovrn, who 
" have strayed away from the old homestead," and will return to unite 
in paying tribute to the memories of our forefathers. But my engage- 
ments are such that I shall be unable to be with you, only in sentiment 
and feeling. 

Permit me to relate to you the tradition that I heard, while on a visit 
to my friends in Coos County a few years since: 

When my Grandfather and Lieut. Edmund Morseof Hampstead, were 
in Coos on an exploring expedition, they discovered the Notch in the 
White Mountains, and were the first white men that ever passed through 
there on the way to Portland. 

To show the simplicity of the household furniture Of the first settlers, 

* The one before aUuded to, in front of Mr. Sawyer's, 



5o 

allow me to add, tirat I have heard my Gratidfather say that part of his 
furniture was a knot bowl with two spoons, (I presume pewter, for 1 well 
recollect the old moulds, which are still in existence,) from which he and 
liis wife hoth aet, at the same time. 

Permit me, sir, to propose the following sentiment: 

My JWitive Town — May Tonperanct ^xm\ \.hc social virtues pervade every 
heart. 

I am with much respect, yours, &,c., 

SAM'L MARSHALL. 



Letter from Rev. Jesse B. Davis, of Princeton, N. J. 

Prixceton, June 30, 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Copimittee of Arrangements : > 

Dear Sir : — The invitation to attend the Centennial Celebration which 
you have been so kind as to send me, has awakened mingled emotions 
©f regret and pleasure. Of regret, because on account of duties hero 
■which demand my constant attention, I cannot be present and participate 
in the festivities of that interesting occasion. 

But of pleasure, because I am informed that those in whose welfare 
I am interested, the inhabitants of my native place, are to enjoy a season 
which I am confident will be both pleasant and profitable. 

It strikes me as being a very suitable way of turning the glorious 
Anniversary of our National Independence to good account. The 
connexion between the two events is by no means obscure, and the 
recollections which cluster around both of them, are calculated to render 
the celebration one of peculiar interest. The sons of New England 
have reason to be proud of their ancestors, those noble men, who lived 
and acted not for themselves, but for their God, their country, and 
posterity. They are gone, but their works do follow them. The seed 
which they have sown has yielded precious fruit. 

It will be well to revive the recollection of former days, and of the 
men of former days, that the present generation may see how the 
liberty and prosperity which they now enjoy, have been gained, and 
may learn to value more highly the instructions of religion and learning 
for which we are largely indebted to our fathers. 

Please to extend to the Committee of Arrangements my most sincere 
and grateful acknowledgments for their kind remembrance of me among 
the many wanderers who are proud to say that Old Hampstead was our 
native place. And accept for yourself, my warmest assurances of 
personal regard. I am, sir, 

Very respectfully, yours &c. 

J. B. DAVIS. 



Letter from ]\lr. Arthur W. Marshall, now at Valparaiso, 
Chili, unexpectedly called to sail to South America, about a 
month sooner than he intended, and thereby prevented from 
being present at the celebration. 

Ship Vistula, E. Boston, June 26, 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Arrangements : 

My Dear Sir: — I have but a moment to spare, but I cannot let the 
opportunity pass without offering a word for your celebration on the 4tli. 
Though 1 shall be far away from the home of my childhood, a wanderer 



56 

on the pathless ocean, my ihoughts, feelings and sympaUiks will be on 
that day, with the friends of my native town, mingling'- with their joys, 
participating- in their festivities. - The occasion will be one in which 
every citizen of Hampstead must have a deep interest, for you are as- 
sembled for the noble purpose of reviewing the virtuous deeds of our fore- 
fathers, of enquiring who bequeathed the blessings we enjoy, and who 
left us our goodly heritage. As expressive of my feelings on that oc- 
casion, allow me to quote the following from one of Moore's beautiful 
melodies : 

" Wl)ere'er mv patli lies, be it gloomy or bright, 
My soul, happy friends ! sliall be with you tbat night, 
Shall join in your revels, your sports, and your wiles, 
And return to me beaming all o'er with your smiles ! 
'J'oo blessed, if it tells me that, 'mid the gay cheer. 
Some Kind voice had murnysred, " I wish he were here"j 
Let fate do her worst, Iher ' are relics of joy, 
Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy, 
Which come in the night time of sorrow and care 
And bring back the features that joy used to weary .) 
Long, long be my heart with such memories filled, -^ 
Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled. 
You may break, you may ruin the vase if you will, 
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still." 

I close with the following sentiment: 

Old Hampstead ! May she never be forgotten by any of her children. 
With high regard, I am truly yours, 

A. W. MARSHALL. 



uc 



Letter from Mr. Edmund T. Eastman, of Boston, Mass. 

Boston, JuLT 2d, 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of ^Arrangements : 

Sir: — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communi- 
cation of the eighteenth ultimo, extending to me a polite invitation to 
be present on the 4th inst., at the very appropriate exercises commemo- 
rative of the event of the chartering of the " Town of Hampstead, one 
hundred years ago." 

Permit me, dear sir, to thank you for your kind remembrance, and to 
assure you and all my fellow townsmen, that it would afford me the 
highest pleasure and satisfaction to be present on that interesting occa- 
sion — but I have exceedingly to regret, that previous engagements, ab- 
solutely forbid. Still, you will allow me to flatter myself that in imagi- 
nation I shall be with you, touched with something of that enthusiasm, 
pride, and love of one's native town which ought to burn in the breast of 
every wanderer from the "Homestead," and which the exercises of that 
day will be pre-eminently adapted to excite. On that day I will think of 
those who there began life with me — some of whom are with you — some 
of whom are far away — two that we have bid God-speed over the wide 
ocean — and some of whom are at rest ; — and of the many pleasing and 
profitable associations of my earlier life. Then, too, will I call to mind 
what our fathers have told us, of the many "virtues and noble deeds" of 
their and our ancestors. 

In conclusion, allow me to offer the following ivish, or if you please 
" sentiment:" 

Hampstead — May those who wander from her reflect so;/ie rays of light 



apou ihw eocuicheou ot" their lathers' glory, and do houur to the spot Uut 
gave them birth. 

Your humble and most obedient servant, 

EDMUND T. EASTMAN, 



Letter from Mr. Hazen L. Hoyt, of Sturbridge, Mass. 

Sturbridge, June 30, 1849. 
IsAic Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Jlrrangemtnts : 

Dear Sir : — I have received your very iiind in.itation to return to 
Old Hampstead, and join in the pleasures of the Celebration on the 4th 
of July, — but, thoufjh my heart will be with you on that occasion, I feel 
obIio:ed to decline the invitation. 

We have a Youn^ Men's Celebration in Sturbridge, and I was chosen 
and agreed to act as one of the Marshals of the day, previous to the 
receipt of your letter. 

Your obedient servant, 

H. L. HOYT.. 



Letter* from Rev. Joseph Smith, of Newport, R. I. 

Newport, (R. I.) Ju.ne 24 1849. 
To THE Committee of Arrangements : 

Gentlemen : — Most sincerely do I regret my inability to comply with 
your polite invitation to be present at the Centennial Celebration of the 
eettlement of my native town. 

The longer I live, the more deeply am I sensible that I owe much', 
very much, to the place of my birth. And most happy should I be, 
might my wandering feet, with others, press again the soil, which first 
they trod, and bear back some tribute of affection and respect. Though 
more than half of my years have been passed in other places, and amidst 
other scenes, yet what are other places and other scenes compared with 
the place of my birth, and the scenes of my youth ! To me, the latter, 
compared with the former, seem like the ever changing, boist/^roug, 
foaming waters above, compared with the firm, unchanging, ever-abiding 
rock that lies deep beneath. Indeed, it seems to me, I am what I am, 
because I was what I was ; and I was what I was, because the place and 
circumstances of my birth and early life contributed in no small degree 
to make me such. 

Yes ! my early, my first earthly home, I love thee still; thy vales and 
hills, thy fields and forests, thy flowing streams and silvery lakes, thy 
summer breeze, and thy winter's snow, iliy rising and thy setting suns, 
thy wild flowers that blessed the eye by day, and the stars that crowned 
thy nights. Yes ! I love thee, and praise my maker, that, in such a 
place, so free from snares, He was pleased to give me being and nurse 
me into manhood. Yes ! I love thee, and ever shall, for there my father 
sleeps! and brothers! 

Mij home in the Granile Stale — Long may thy glory be, thy Granite 
men, living pillars, supporting, unmoved, amidstevery storm, Christianity, 
Science, and Good Government. 

Respectfully, your friend, and ob't serv't, 

JOSEPH SMITH. 



♦This and the following letter were received too late to be read at the Celebration, but 

lie Inserted hfrs T-'fth cthns. 

s 



58 

Letter from Mr. Horatio G. K. Calef, of Boston, Mass. 

Boston, July 3d, (Evening,) 1849. 
Isaac Smith, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Jirrangements : 

Dtar Sir : — Your polite letter of invitatioin to unite with my former 
respected townsmen in the celebration of the first Centennial Anniversary 
of the Incorporation of the good old Town of Hampstead, was duly re- 
ceived, and until this moment, I had fully purposed to have availed my- 
self of it, and had anticipated much pleasure in participating in the fes- 
tivities and exercises of the occasion. But I am sorry to say that cir- 
cumstances beyond my control, render it impracticable. 

That the celebration may be pleasant, and long to be remembered, is 
the wish of, Dear Sir, 

Yours very truly, 

H. G. K. CALEF. 



After the reading of letters was concluded, the remainder of 
the afternoon was taken up in offering sentiments and making 
short speeches. 

No regular toasts were offered upon the occasion, but the 
President of the Dav invited all "to make themselves perfectly 
at home," as it was a "Home Celebration."* 

Isaac Smith, Esq., offered the following sentiment: 

The City of Boston — Indebted to New Hampshire for her great men, 
and to Hampstead for her most successful Authors. 

Erederick Emerson, Esq., of Boston, who had just arrived up- 
on the ground, now came forward, and ofter apologizing for 
his late appearance, responded as follows : 

3Ir. President and Fellow Toivnsnien, — There is not in our 
whole country another place, which could at this hour, present 
to my feelings matters of interest to be compared with those 
which here surround me. As I left the metropolis, a few hours 
since, the national stars and stripes were floating from the lofty 
turrets ; glittering columns of soldiery were parading the pub- 
lic streets ; floral processions of school-children were promenad- 
ing upon the pubhc green ; bells were pealing from every 
church-tower ; bugles were pouring their music upon the air ; 
cannons were booming from the heights where first the Patriotic 
Fathers entrenched in the cause of freedom ; and, to complete the 
scene, there stood on Bunker Hill, the gigantic pile — erect in 
solemn grandeur — alike the representative of the past, and the 
presiding genius of the present. The scene was indeed impos- 
ing, and fitly so ; but I left without regret, for my heart was 
not there — its impulse was homeward. I say, homeward, my 
friends, for, although I have been long absent from among you, 

* The sentiments offered upon the occasion were not preserved, and no minutes wer« 
lak«n of the speeches. The following account is written out entirely from memory. 



59 

and every member of my pateraal family has either removed 
elsewhere, or gone down to the silent grave, still the local at- 
tachments of childhood and youth are unbroken, and there is no 
place on earth but Hampstead, that my habituol feelings regard 
as home. The abiding force of early associations is not pecuhar 
to myself — it is common to all, who were duly impressed in early 
life by the kind offices of parental care. The sentiment is most 
happily illustrated in the beautiful lines of Sir Walter Scott — 

" Breathes there a man with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 

This is my own, my native land ! 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, 
As home his footsteps he hath turned 

From wandering on a foreign strand ? 
If such there breathe, go mark him well : 
For him no minstrel raptures swell ; 
High though his titles, proud his name, 
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim ; 
Despite those titles, power, and pelf, 
The wretch, concentred all in self. 
Living, shall forfeit fair renown, 
And, doubly dying, sliall go down 
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, 
Unwept, unhonored, and unsung." 

It is some thirty years, my friends, since I ceased to be a 
resident among you ; and as I now look around upon the present 
audience, composed of both sexes and all ages, I am forcibly 
impressed with the changes that time has wrought upon this 
community. I see before me the same volunteer company in 
which I once had the honor of a subaltern command, but no 
fellow soldier of mine is there — they have all laid down their 
arms ; and the field is taken by another generation. As I di- 
rect my attention to the numerous ladies of the assembly, I 
recognize, here and there, an early acquaintance, who, at the 
time I left the town, was just emerging from her teens, full of 
vivacity, ever contributing to the enjoyments of the social circle ; 
and, by the sweetness and chasteness of her manners, uncon- 
sciously inspiring the youth of our own sex with generous and 
manly sentiments. Now, she sits, the sedate matron, sobered, 
though not saddened by the cares of hfe. Again, as I turn my 
eyes upon the Fathers of the town, seated upon this rostrum, 
I see one, and another, and another venerable man, whom I left 
in the full strength of his days pursuing the purposes of life, 
with activity and energy. He is not now, as then. The flakes 
of time have fallen hghtly, but thickly on his head. He retains, 
indeed, his seat in your councils, but he has given into stronger 
hands the implements of husbandry, and resigned to more am- 
bitious minda the lead of afiliirs. 



80 

If sucli changes have been -wrought in the lapse of thirty 
years, what must have been the changes of a century ! I •mil 
not go back upon their history — that duty has been ably and 
adequately performed by my young brother townsman who pre* 
ceded me ; and I congratulate both you and him, on the uni- 
versal satisfaction which his services have given. 

Mr. President, the town of Hampstead may truly be called 
a nursery — ^her sons are to be found, transplanted throughout 
the country . There is no profession, no department of business, 
in which they have not engaged, none in whicli thej have not 
succeeded. I have met them in my travels, have seen them at 
their homes ; and seldom have I found one, who has not done 
honor to the place of his origin. Inured in early hfe to habits 
of industry and economy, they readily accumulate a competence. 
Having grown up under the constant influence of a gospel minis- 
try, they are usually found to be in the practice of moral prin- 
ciples, and, not unfrequently, in the exercise of religious faith. 
With these traits of character to commend them, they seldom 
fail to be numbered with the valued and respected class of the 
community in which they reside. After bearing this testimony 
in favor of the absent sons of Hampstead, allow me, Mr. Presi- 
dent, to close with a corresponding sentiment. 

The Fathers and the Mothers oj Hampstead —May the virtues of tbei 
Sons and Daughters illuminate the evening of their life. 



2d. By Capt. Jesse Ayer. 

Our Puritan Ancestors — We glory in being their descendants. May 
we honor them, by cherishing their pinciples, and copying their exaniple. 

Rev. Jesse Page, of Atkinson, rose and said : 

That he had taken great pleasure in participating in the ex- 
ercises of the day, and had been highly gratified. He had not 
the honor of being a native of Hampstead, but he belonged to 
an adjoining town and his ancestors were intimately connected 
with the first settlers of Hampstead, and he could claim here 
many intimate friends. The settlers of the two towns were 
descendants from the Puritans, and engaged in a common cause. 

He regretted the necessity of immediately returning home, 
and his inability to remain longer. He begged to be excused 
from speaking longer, and from offering any sentiment. He would, 
however, express the wish, that the people of Hampstead and 
Atkinson would continue, as in days past, to imitate the example 
and cherish the principles of the Puritans. 

54- Tlte City of .V(?M? York — In the War of the Revolution, earnest 



fcnd active to resist oppression. She will be auioug; ilie last places of 
America to betray tlie cause of liberty. 

Mr. Albert L. Eastman said, 

He supposed the sentiment just offered, was designed for 
him ; that he rose to reply Tvith great rehictance, because his 
native townsmen knew he was unused to pubhc speaking. His 
whole life in New York had been devoted to the dry goods busi- 
ness, and however much he might be at home in that line, he 
felt out of his element in attempting to make his first speech. 
He could not, however, do less than assure them of his undi- 
minished love for his native town ; that as soon as he heard of 
the proposed celebration, he determined to be present and par- 
ticipate with his fellow townsmen in the festivities of the occasion. 
As one of the improvements of the age, he would mention that 
he left New York the evening previous, and on the morning of 
the 4th, at nine o'clock, found himself again on his native soil. 
Such speed in travellmg, would have seemed incredible to our 
ancestors in 1749. 

In conclusion he would offer as a sentiment, 
The Orator of the Day. 



Mr. Isaac W. Smith, in responding to this call, said 

He had trespassed so long upon their attention in the morn- 
ing, that he would detain them but a few moments. He accepted 
the invitation of the Committee, to prepare the address, with 
great hesitation, for reasons already made known to them. 

He said he had never spent his time more pleasantly nor 
more profitably, than while engaged in making the necessary 
research for this occasion ; that though the result of his investi- 
gations was necessarily imperfect, yet he hoped he had been 
successful in some degree. The history of New England tovras 
is, from the necessity of the case, full of interest. The people, 
"who settled New England were a peculiar people ; they came 
here with the fixed and determined purpose, to establish in the 
wilderness of America these free institutions of ours. They were 
guided and influenced in all their acts by their spiritual as well 
as temporal welfare. They were a far sighted people, and in all 
their purposes had an eye upon the interests of their children. 
The same people settled Hampstead, and to their enterprise, 
and intelligence, and piety, did they OAve their prosperity as a 
town. 

Mr. S. said there were many other interesting facts connected 
with the early hiBtory of the town, which could be gathered 



f)2 

together "svitli very little trouble, and suggested the propriety of 
a more thorough search being made by some one. 

The early ruins of the town yet remained. They were con- 
stantly to be met with in walks about the place. Interesting 
facts could be collected of the aged people of the town, fast 
passing away to the grave ; and soon every vestige of the 
early settlement would be lost. What was done must be done 
quickly. 

Mr. S. further said, that although he had spent the greater 
part of the last dozen years away from his native place, and 
might not again reside there, he had lost none of his love for his 
native town. It was a small quiet, farming town, and was noted 
for no picturesque scenery, no striking natural views, and for no 
extensive business operations. But there was his home ; m its 
woods he had roved in his childhood ; on its beautiful ponds he 
had sailed before the cool breezes of summer, and around their 
shores, participated in the sports of youth ; in yonder school- 
house he had acquired the rudiments of his education, and 
in later years had been engaged in the pleasing duty of at- 
tempting to guide the minds of others in the youthful reachings 
after knowledge ; in yonder churches he had first listened to the 
preaching of the word of God. In every part of the town, he 
recognized some familiar object that bound him to this spot in 
the strongest ties of affection. As the Highland Chief, when he 
regained his mountain fastnesses, exclaimed, 

" My foot is on my native heath, 
And my name is M'Gregor," 

so could he, in the same spirit, exclaim, 

" Where'er I roam, whatever realms to see, 
My heart untravel'd fondly turns to thee.." 

He acknowledged the honor his fellow townsmen hf»d done 
him, in assigning to him the most important part upon this occa- 
sion. He regretted that reasons before intimated to them, and 
the inexperience of his youthful years, had not permitted him 
to make good the place of the gentleman from Boston, who had 
addressed them a few minutes previous. To the latest hour of 
his life, he should never cease to remember the kindness of his 
fellow townsmen towards him, in other instances, besides the 
present. 

Mr. S. concluded with offering the following sentiment : 

The Memory of our Ancestors — May the remembrance of their noble 
example incite us to keep the reputation of our native town untarnished 
in our hands. 



4tli. By Cafi. Je,sse Atek. 

Departed Friends — As we love to cherish their memories, may we em- 
ulate their excellencies. 

Anthem by tlie Choir. 



5th. By Rev. Mr. Bartley. 

The Aged Ladies and Gentlemen in Hampstead — May they receive the 
veneration, sympathy and affection of the young, and close their earthly 
pilgrimage in peace. 

Anthem, by the Choir. 



6th. By Isaac Smith, Esq. 

The Granite State — She has furnished to the city of Boston many of 
her most successful merchants. 

The audience looked to J. S. Clement, Esq., of Boston, to 
respond to this sentiment. Mr. Emerson, of Boston, went across 
the stage to Mr. Clement and told him he must speak. 
Mr. Clement came forward to the desk, and said : 

When the gentleman from Boston attempted to do anything, 
he knew it would be impossible to resist him. He seemed de- 
termined to make him (Mr. C.) speak. And he might as well 
surrender first, as last, hke the Kentucky coon when he saw 
Davy Crockett preparing to shoot. But he felt encouraged to 
speak, by the approving smiles he saw upon the faces of those 
whom he was attempting to address. (Laughter.) 

Mr. Clement said he accepted an invitation from his friend, 
(Mr. Isaac Smith,) to be present, and had not entertained the 
remotest idea of making a speech ; even a few moments before, 
during the intermission, he had positively refused. Like his 
friend from New York, (Mr. Eastman,) he had been engaged 
all his life in the dry goods business, and if people would hear 
him talk they must go to Boston and buy goods of him, where 
he could talk fast enough, as their toAvnsmen, (Messrs. Ordway 
and Smith,) could testify. 

Mr. C. said he was not a native of Hampstead, but he was 
proud to say that he was a native of the Old Granite State, and 
he felt for his native State all the love and veneration that a son 
should feel for the land of his nativity. He said that on looking 
over the to-\vn records the evening previous, he was struck with 
the neatness and uniformity with which they had been kept. 
He doubted whether many other towns in the State could exhibit 
such perfect records ; and town clerks in modern times, with all 
the increased facihties of better paper and writing utensils, 



might feel proud tu C4Uiil the neatueso and correctiie.'id of th« 
records of the first officers of Hampstead. 

Mr. C. spoke of the pleasure he had had, in being present at 
this Celebration. To his mind, such social gatherings were in 
exact accordance 'vsith the spirit of our Republican Institutions. 
The people of all ages and ranks, of each sex and of every sect 
and party, could unite, as on that day, in celebrating an event 
in which all had a common interest. The manner of their cele- 
bration, was, in his opinion, most appropriate. In no way could 
the citizens of Hampstead commemorate the simphcity and 
imj^retending acts of their ancestors, as by the exercises of that 
day. He congratulated them on the unanimity and harmony 
that had characterized their celebration, and expressed the hope 
that they would ahvays be as fortunate in then- public acts. 

Mr. C. offered as a sentiment : 

Umon Celebrations — A union of the people and a union of the States. 



Mr. Emerson facetiously remarked, that there was one union 
he had neglected to mention, viz : a union of the sexes. Mr. 
C. replied, that his friend should not be permitted to apply that 
remark to him, inasmuch as the gentleman himself was given 
over by the ladies as incorrigible. (Laughter.) 



7th. Our Invited Guests from abroad — Our ancestors were alike 
distinguished for the firmness with which they maintained the cause of 
Religion, of Education, and of Liberty ;— we welcome their descendants 
as those who are bound with us in the ties of mutual sympathy and a 
common cause. 

Mr. William C. Todd, of Atkinson, N. H., and Preceptor of 
the Atldnson Academy, rephed nearly as follows : 

He regretted that his esteemed pastor was not there to ex- 
press for the many citizens of Atkinson, whom he saw present, 
the pleasure they all felt in being with the people of Hampstead 
that day. For himself, he had declined an invitation to^ go 
elsewhere, for when he heard of their contemplated celebration, 
he determined no shght obstacle should prevent his atten- 
dance. He had been too well acquainted with many of the 
Toung men that had gone out from Hampstead, not to take a 
deep Interest in the town and whatever relates to its history. 
With him who had so deeply interested them that day, as he re- 
^dewed the events and the changes of the last century, in their 
midst, he had been long acquainted. In early years they had 
met as students of Atkinson Academy, and years after, he felt 
n<> little pleasure in renewing the friendship in ths Halls of 



66 

Dartmouth College. Ho was well acquainted, too, with him 
whose name had just been mentioned, and who^vas then tossed 
about upon the bosom of the deep. Though absent bodily, they 
all well knew his heart was there, at that moment hovering 
over the play-grounds of his youth. He hoped that prosperity 
and complete restoration to health wovdd attend him, in the dis- 
tant land to which he was bound. "With other young men from 
this place, Mr. T. had been on terms of intimacy, and had known 
no one not w'orthy of esteem and confidence. 

Mr. T. said a celebration of this kind always appeared to liim, 
peculiarly interesting and profitable. One hundread years ago, 
this whole vicinity was little better than a wilderness, and now 
by the blessings of a kind Providence, w'O dwell in a laud, than 
which, the sun, in his whole course, shines upon none more hap- 
py. We, that live here, are much blessed. He had spent 
some years out of New England, but had always returned with 
a deeper attachment for his native section. 

We have not the inexhaustible fertility of the West, its vast 
prairies and boundless forests, nor the " ever during " verdure 
of the '• bright and sunny South ;" but our agreeable succes- 
sion of hills and valleys charms the eye in summer ; and if 
a stranger objects to the deep snows and storms of a New Eng- 
land whiter, if he will enter our dwellings, the warmth of his 
welcome, and the comforts around him, will soon teach him to 
forget that the thermometer without ever sinks to zero. 

He had visited also our " Father-land," and seen something 
of the splendor of the mightiest kingdom of Europe. Yet after 
having gazed on the face of " Her Majesty," he was well con- 
vinced if one wished to see Queens, he must come to New 
England on some occasion like the present. There is much, 
indeed, to charm the mind, in treading the Halls of such a mag- 
nificent palace as Windsor Castle, where kings have dwelt for 
nearly a thousand years ; in visiting Universities, whose gray, 
old walls seem as ancient as the Greek of Homer ; in gazing 
upon costly Cathedrals, and splendid works of Art, which every 
where abound in England. We have none such with us. Yet 
what is of far more importance, we have no such beggary and 
abject wretchedness, as make the American sick at heart, be- 
because he sees them there for the first time. Men and women, 
healthy and willing to labor, yet asking charity, for want of" em- 
ployment, meet the traveller at every town in some countries of 
the Old World. They live where the mterest of the few is 
jealously watched, the rights of the masses little regarded. — 
They have no Independence there to celebrate, though if they 
had, they would hardly be able to find a more beautiful grove 

9 



6(3 

to assemble in, nor fairer hands to arrange it with better taste, 
than has been manifested here to-day. 

On this occasion, then, when we have met to celebrate the 
Anniversary of our Independence, to hear due justice done to 
the memory of deceased citizens of this town, and hsten to the 
voices of hving sons, who have come back to their native town, 
let us not forget to be thankful, all, that " the lines have," in- 
deed, " fallen to us in pleasant places." 

Mr. Todd concluded by remarking that after what he had 
said, he could, perhaps, offer no more fitting sentiment than : 

N'ew England, and the People of JVew England — There is no land 
better than ours, no people happier than our people. 

8th. The Davis Grove — A beautiful spot, endeared to us by the cheer- 
fulness and pleasure with which its venerable owner has consecrated 
it to the public, on such occasions as the present. May we never cease 
to remember the exemplary life he has always led, nor forget his virtues 
and good deeds, when he shall be gathered to his fathers. 

Mr. Jesse Davis, a venerable man of more than four score 
years, came forward and acknowledged the comphment in a 
brief and effective manner, that touched the hearts of all who 
heard him. 

He spoke as follows : 

Fellow- Citizms, — I am an old man, — probably the oldest 
native citizen now present. I have a distinct recollection of the 
scenes of the Revolution, — of the trials and sacrifices made by 
the Patriots of Hampstead. Little did I think at the time what 
glorious results would follow. 

It was surely befitting this occasion, to commence with prayer 
to Almighty God, and Thanksgivuig to His name for His great 
goodness to our land. 

I have but httle time to remain here. But I shall leave my 
best wishes and sincerest prayers for the temporal and spiritual 
prosperity of those who shall survive, and who shall come after 
me. 

Hev. Mr. Bartley spoke of the duties and responsibilities 
of the rising generation, and offered as a sentiment : 

The Youth and Children in Hampsfead— May Heavenly wisdom be 
their guide, in whose right hand is length of days, and in whose left hand 
are riches and honor. 

Hymn by the Juvenile Choir. 



9th. Sentiment by Dea. Joshua Eastman, complimeutary 
to the mihtary command under Capt. Stickney. 



67 

. Many other sentiments were offered and remarks made by 
other gentlemen present, but, unfortunately no record was made 
of them at the time, and it has become impossible to recall them. 
For the same reason, the preceding account is necessarily incom- 
plete. At different intervals the exercises were varied by 
music from the Band, or Songs from the Choir. 

At five o'clock the President announced that the exercises 
were nearly ended, and would close with a sentiment complimen- 
tary to the ladies. 

10th. Mr. I. W. Smith said he had been requested to make 
some pubhc acknowledgement in behalf of the Gentlemen, to 
the Ladies, for the beautiful, but modest manner in which they 
had decorated the Grove ; for the good taste they had displayed 
in all their arrangements, and for the interest they had taken 
in the celebration. 

He said he cheerfully complied with the request and could 
not pay them a better comphment than to announce a sentiment 
sent in by a gentleman from a neighboring State, who married 
a Hampstead girl, but was unable to be present himself, and 
had sent his wife. 

The Ladies of Hampstead — If correctly represented abroad, they make 
most exemplary wives, and deserve to receive, every one, a husband. 



The meeting then adjourned, amid the utmost satisfaction and 
good feelmg. The day was as pleasant and comfortable as the 
most eager could desire. Every arrangement was carried out 
to the satisfaction of all ; nothing happening durmg the day to 
mar the enjoyment of any one. 

The number present was variously estimated from ten to 
fifteen hundred ; it did not probably much exceed twelve hun- 
dred. The population of the town is about nine hmidred. Al- 
lowing six hundi-ed of its mhabitants to be present, the remain- 
ing six hundred were composed of strangers from abroad, most 
of whom were natives of the town, or had formerly resided 
witliin its limits. 

It was announced by the Chairman of the Committee of Ar- 
rangements, that it might be of interest to some to learn, that 
one of the roses sent in by Mr. Amasa Eastman to be placed 
upon the Speaker's desk, grew upon a bush, in his yard, over 
one hmidred years old. 

Probably on no occasion, were so many of the natives of 
Hampstead ever before assembled. The opportunity was em- 
braced to renew old acquaintances and form new ones. Not 
only was it the source of profit and gratification, to those present, 
but every one went away with an increased love for the town of 
his nativity, or adoption. 



68 

Old fiiends and acquaintances were again brought together, 
face to face, to recoimt th?. scenes enacted in " days of auld 
lang syne." The sports of childhood, the happy hours passed 
in the district school house and on the village play-ground, the 
plans of youth, the fate of companions of former days, the un- 
timely death of intimate friends, — formed the theme of many a 
conversation ; the silent tear, upon the cheek marked with the 
traces of care and affliction, betrayed the emotions of the heart ; 
or the pleasant smile and laughing eye, revealed a hfe of pleasure 
and of joy, — where the hand of time had passed lightly over 
the dearest objects of the affections. 

The mind run rapidly back through the last century and re- 
viewed the changes that had taken place in the town. The 
events of the past came up in successive array before the minds 
of the assemblage, and the acts and motives of the men who 
preceded them, were quickly scanned. And then the imagina- 
tion looked forward into the future ; the wondrous changes yearly 
effected in governments, science and commerce, imposed no 
limits to it3 range. What would be the condition of our native 
town in 1949, none dared predict. All indulged the hope that 
its citizens, in every act, would study the example of its first 
settlers, and that the present generation would so discharge its 
duties, that in after years om* children's children might point to 
our lives and our example, and say that their fathers did not 
live for themselves alone, that they did not exist for the moment, 
but looked forward to the future. 

The next Centennial Celebration will find all of that assem- 
blage quietly sleeping in their graves. One by one, as tJieir an- 
cestors went down to the grave, will they leave these places, 
and long before the next one hundred years shall have passed 
by, the last one will be gathered to his fathers. 



A LIST OF THE 

TOWN OFFICERS OF HAMPSTEAD, 

SINCE ITS INCORPORATION. 
TAKEN FROM THE TOWN RECORDS. 



The first meeting was held February 7th, 1749. There Is 
no record of any annual meetmg in March 1749, and as the 
records are otherwise full and complete, it is to be inferred that 
there was none held, but that the officers chosen Feb'y 7th, at 
the organization of the town government under the Charter, held 
their offices till the annual meeting in March, 1750. 



MODERATORS. 

In the following hst, the names of those persons who acted 
as Moderators at the annual to^^^l meetings, are placed in italics. 
In twelve instances the names of the Moderators elected were 
not recorded. It will be seen that two hundred and fifty-tAvo 
meetings have been held since the town was incorporated. The 
figures, appended to the follo\\lng names, denote the number of 
times that each individual has acted as Moderator. The order 
of the priority of their election has been observed, though it will 
readily occur to every one, that, in hardly any instance, were 
their respective elections efiected at successive meetings. 



Daniel Little, • 


- 7 


John 3Iuzzey, 


8 


John Johnson, 


- 1 


Joseph French, 


- 2 


JRichard JTazzen, ■ 


- 4 


Benjamin Emersoyi, - 


- 5 


Ehcnezer Gile, • 


8 


Jonathan Carlton, - 


- 8 


Moses Hale, - 


- 1 


Samuel Little, 


- 12 


Peter Morse, 


- 3 


John Atwood, - 


1 


John Webster, - 


. 9 


Edmimd Mooei-s, - 


- 7 


Jacob Bayley, 


2 


John Calfe, 


55 



'0 



William Modton, - - 1 
Moses Little, - - 3 
John Bond, - - - 1 
William Marshall, • - 4 
John Hogg, - - 2 

Thomas Muzzey, - - 1 
Timothy Goodwin, - - 1 
David Mo niton, - - 15 
John True, - - 6 

Jabez Hoit, ... 2 
Jacob Kimball, • ■> 25 
John Emerson, • -1 



Jt'is^ Gordon, - • 5 

Tappan Eastman, - - 4 

Samuel Marshall, - - 1 
Moses Hoyt, - - 20 

A. B. Marshall, - - 1 

Isaiah P. Moody, - - 1 

Lorenzo Batehelder, • - 4 

Isaac Smith, - - 1 

Josiah C. Eastman, - - 7 

Amos Buck, - - - 3 

Enos Colby, - • 1 

Isaac W. Smith, - - 2 



TOWN CLERKS. 



Peter Eastman, - 
Benjamin Little, jr., 
Peter Eastman, 
Jonathan Eastman, 
Eliphalet Poor,* 
John True, 

,t - 

John True, 
James Knight, 
John True, 
James Knight, 
Nathaniel Little, 
Isaac Smith, 
Warren L. Lane, 
A. B. Marshall, 
Amos M. Merrill, 
Benj. A. Moody, 
A. B. Marshall, 
Henry Putnam, 
Nathaniel C. Smith, 



from 1749 
" 1766 

- " 1768 
1776 
1780 
1786 
1798 
1799 
1806 
1807 
1809 
1811 

- " 1825 

- " 1832 
1835 
1839 
1841 
1842 
1846 
1849 



to 1766 
" 1768 
" 1776 
" 1780 
" 1786 
" 1798 
" 1799 
" 1806 
" 1807 
" 1809 
1811 
1825 
1832 
1835 
1839 
1841 
1842 
1846 
1849 



SELECTMEN. 



1749. John Johnson, Peter Morse, George Little, Jacob 

Bayley, Stephen Johnson, jr. 

1750. John Johnson, John Webster, Benj. Emerson, James 

Graves, John Muzzey. 

1751. Peter Morse, Daniel Little, John Hunkins. 



'^ Resigned in April 1786, and Joha True chosen hia successor. 
X No rtsord of any being cboseD. 



71 

1752. Moses Hale, Ricliard Hazzen, John Johnson. 

1753. Stephen Emerson, Benj. Philbrick, Nath'l Heath. 

1754. Moses Copps, Samuel Hadlej, Jeremiah Eaton. 

1755. Benj. Emerson, John Muzzej, John Mooers. 

1756. George Little, James Graves, Jacob Bayley. 

1757. John Muzzej, Daniel Little, Benj. Kimball. 

1758. Edmmid SaAvjer, John Muzzej, John Hazzen. 

1759. Edmmid Morse, John Johnson, John Muzzej. 

1760. Peter Eastman, WiUiam Marshall, John Johnson. 

1761. Jacob Bajlej, John Muzzej,* Benj. Emerson. 

1762. Jacob Bajlej, John AYebster, John Muzzej. 

1763. Joseph French, Reuben Harriman, John Muzzej. 

1764. John Muzzej, Joseph French, Reuben Harriman. 

1765. John Muzzej, Joseph French, Reuben Harriman. 

1766. John Webster, Joseph French, Samuel Currier. 

1767. John Webster, Joseph French, Reuben Harriman. 

1768. Benj. Little, Samuel Little, John Muzzej. 

1769. John Calfe, Reuben Harriman, Joseph French, jr. 

1770. Peter Eastman, Joseph French, jr., John Calfe. 

1771. Benj. Little, Thos. Wadlej, Ephraim Webster. 

1772. Benj. Little, Ephraim Webster, Thomas Wadlej. 

1773. Thomas Wadlej, John Calfe, Bartholomew Heath. 

1774. John Calfe, Thos. Wadlej, Samuel Little. 

1775. William Moulton, John Atwood, John Calfe. 

1776. Samuel Little, Thos. Wadlej, John Atwood. 

1777. Jona. Eastman, Edmund Mooers, Abner Little. 

1778. Samuel Little, Abner Little, John Harriman. 

1779. Edmund Mooers, Ehphalet Poor, Abner Rogers. 

1780. John Calfe, Timothj Goodwin, Abner Rogers. 

1781. Jolm Calfe, Job Kent, Moses Little. 

1782. John Calfe, Timothj Goodwin, James Huse. 

1783. Timothj Goodwin, Abner Rogers, Robert Emerson. 

1784. Jesse Johnson,! Eliphalet Poor,! John Harrmian, Job 

Kent, J Moses Little. J 

1785. Jesse Johnson, John Bond, Benj. Emerson, jr. 

1786. John Calfe, Edmund Mooers, David Moulton. 

1787. John Calfe, David Moulton, John Harriman. 

1788. John Calfe, David Moulton, John Harriman. 

1789. Wm. Marshall, John True, James Huse. 

1790. Joseph French, David Poor, Edmund Mooers. 

1791. Wm. Marshall, Thomas Muzzev, John True. 

1792. Wm. Marshall, Dudlej Kimball, Jona. Little. 

1793. Dudlej Kimball, John Time, Jona. Little. 

♦ Declined. Wait Stevens chosen in April. 
t Resigned and excused. 
t In place of first two. 



1704. "^Vni. Marshall, Moses Little, Thos. yhizzey, 
1795. JolmHo^ti;g, Ebenezer Hoyt, Micajali little. 

1706. John Calfe, John True, Moses AVilliams. 

1707. John Calfc, John True, ISIoses WilHams. 

1798. John True, James Atwood, Jona. Little. 

1799. David Moulton, John True, Jona. Eastman. 

1800. David Moulton, John True, Jonathan Eastman, 

1801. John True, Jona. Little, Jona. C. Little. 

1802. John True, Jona. Little, Joseph Welch. 

1803. John True, Da\id Moulton, James Briekett. 

1804. David Moulton, Jona. C. Little, Samuel Morse. 

1805. John True, Thomas Muzzej, David Moulton. 

1806. Samuel Morse, Nath'l Little, Jacob Kimball. 

1807. John True, James Knight, Jona. E. Wadley. 

1808. Jona. E. Wadley, Jabez Hoit, jr., Nath'l Little. 

1809. Nath'l Little, Samuel Morse, Jacob Kimball. 

1810. Samuel Morse, Joshua Sawyer, Joseph Briekett. 

1811. Jona. Little, Joshua Sawyer, Hezekiah Ayer. 

1812. Joshua Sawyer, Joseph Briekett, Samuel Morse. 

1813. Nathaniel Little, Jona. C. Little, Jona. Little. 

1814. Nath'l Little, James Knight, Stephen Webster. 

1815. Nath'l Little, John Emerson, jr., John True. 

1816. Nath'l Little, jr., John Emerson, jr., James Calef. 

1817. Nath'l Little, jr., James Knight, Caleb H. Moulton. 

1818. Nath'l Little, jr., James Knight, Edward Noyes. 

1819. Nath'l Little, jr., John Heath, Jesse Gordon. 

1820. Nath'l Little, jr., Caleb Harriman, Samuel Marshall. 

1821. Nath'l Little, jr., Samuel Smith, Jesse Gordon. 

1822. Nath'l Little, jr., Jesse Gordon, Joshua Eastman, jr.,* 

Lorenzo Batchelder.f 

1823. Jesse Gordon, Sam'l Marshall, Lorenzo Batchelder. 

1824. Nath'l Little, jr., Jesse Gordon, Sam'l Marshall. 

1825. Jesse Gordon, Moses Hoyt, Benj. B. Garland. 

1826. Nath'l Little, jr., Moses 'Hoyt, Benj. B. Garland. 

1827. Jesse Gordon, Moses Hoyt, John Ordway, jr. 

1828. Moses Hoyt, John Ordway, jr., Humphrey C. Cogs- 

well. 

1829. Moses Hoyt, Jesse Gordon, James Gibson. 

1830. Lorenzo Batchelder, James Gibson, True W. Taylor. 

1831. John Ordway, jr., Joshua Eastman, jr., Stephen Little. 

1832. Samuel Morse, Andrew B. Marshall, Joseph P. Shan- 

non. 

1833. Moses Hoyt, A. B. Marshall, Joseph P. Shannon. 

* Resigned. 

t Eleeted April Ptti in plat* of J. E,,jr. 



^ 



78 

1834. M0SC8 Iloyt, A. B. Marshall, Isaac Heath. 

1835. Joseph P. Shannon, Isaac Heath, James Hadlej. 

1836. Joseph P. Shannon, John Ordwaj, James Hadlej. 

1837. Joseph P. Shannon, Moses Hoyt, Samuel NicholB. 

1838. Warren L. Lane, Isaac Heath, Amos Buck. 

1839. Amos Buck, Moses Hovt, A. B. Marshall. 

1840. Moses Hoyt, A. B. Marshall, Isaac Heath. 

1841. Amos Buck, Joseph P. Shannon, Jonathan Williams. 

1842. Amos Buck, Jonathan Williams, James Smith. 

1843. Enos Colbj, Caleb Moulton, Richard K. Brickett, 

1844. Isaac Smith, A. B. Marshall, Joseph P. Shannon. 

1845. Amos Buck, Joseph P. Shannon, A. B, Marshall. 
184(3. Moses Hoyt, Isaac Smith, Amos Ring. 

1847. Moses Hoyt, Isaac Smith, Caleb Moulton. 

1848. Caleb Moulton, Isaac Heath, Joseph P. Shannon, 

1849. Amos Buck, Samuel Morse, James Smith, 



MEMBERS OF THE rROYIXCIAL CONGRSSS, 

Which assembled in 1775, at Exeter, and afterwards either 
at Exeter, Portsmouth or Concord : 

Samuel Little, April 1775. 

Jonathan Carlton, May 1775. 

John Calfe, December, 1775. 

Samuel Little, December, 1776. 

John Calfe, from December, 1777, to December, 1784. 

The records of the town do not show that any one was elect- 
ed after December 1783. A limited search among the records 
in the office of the Secretary of State did not give any additional 
information. If the compiler had had sufficient time, it is pro- 
bable that a more thorough search would have enabled hun to 
complete the above list. The Provincial Congress held fivo 
sessions in 1777 and 1778, four in 1779, and two in 1780, 
1781 and 1782. 

Hon. John Calfe was Delegate from Hampstead, to the 
Convention to ratify the Constitution of the United States, held 
at Exeter on the second Wednesday of February 1788. 

He was also Secretary of the Convention to amend the Con* 
4stitution of New Hampshire in 1792. 



REPRESENTATIVES UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. 

Voted not to send - - - from 1787* to 1792. 

* Learo wai granted, by tb« Ceneral Court, to Hampstvad to vend « ReprMantatir* ta 
•2787. 

10 



74 

William MarshaU, - ^ - from 1792 to 1793 

John Hogg, .... 

John Tnie, . . - - 

Da^'id Moulton, .... 

John True, .... 

Jacob Kimball, .... 

Thomas Muzzej, 

John True, . . . . 

Jonathan Little, ... 

Isaac Noyes, .... 

Jonathan Little, ... 

Isaac Noyes, . * . . 

John True, .... 

Jacob Kimball, .... 

Jonathan Little, . - - - 

John True, . . * . 



Jacob Kimball, 
James Knight, 
Jesse Gordon, 
James Knight, 
Jesse Gordon, 



Jesse Gordon, 
Samuel Marshall, 
Jesse Gordon, 
Moses Hoyt, 



Lorenzo Batchelder, • 

Moses Hoyt, .... 

A. B. Marshall, . - . - 

Warren L. Lane, ... 

Lorenzo Batchelder, ... 

Joseph P. Shannon, 

Isaac Heath, ... 

John Ordway, .... 

Josiah C. Eastman, 

COIVrMTTTEES OF INSPECTION, 
Chosen during the War of the Revolution. 

Dec. 1774. John Webster, Samuel Little, Joseph French, 
John Calfe, Benjamin Little. 

March 1776. Samuel Little, Wilham Moulton, Edmund 
Morse, Benjamin Little, William George. 

March 1777. Joseph French, Jacob Currier. 



a 


1793 


a 


1795 


(( 


1795 


a 


1802 


a 


1802 


a 


1803 


(( 


1803 


a 


1804 


(( 


1804 


(( 


1806 


(c 


1806 


u 


1807 


a 


1807 


u 


1809 


a 


1809 


a 


1810 


^i 


1810 


a 


1811 


u 


1811 


n 


1812 


li 


1812 


a 


1813 


li 


1813 


a 


1814 


ii 


1814 


li 


1815 


u 


18L5 


a 


1816 


<( 


1816 


a 


1817 


(( 


1817 


u 


1819 


u 


1819 


a 


1820 


a 


1820 


a 


1821 


(( 


1821 


u 


1823 


a 


1823 


a 


1824 


a 


1824 


ii 


1825 


a 


1825 


a 


1826 


^i 


1826 


a 


1827 


u 


1827 


u 


1828 


a 


1828 


a 


1829 


a 


1829 


a 


1831 


i( 


1831 


li 


1832 


a 


1832 


a 


1835 


a 


1835 


li 


1836 


a 


1836 


(( 


1839 


u 


1839 


li 


1841 


a 


1841 


li 


1842 


a 


1842 


11 


1844 


a 


1844 


ii 


1846 


a 


1846 


li 


1847 


u 


1847 


li 





75 

June 1777. Joseph French, Thomas Wadley, Benjamin Lit- 
tle, Benjamin Emerson, jr., Jacob Currier. 

March 1778. Samuel Little, Joseph French, Benjamin Emer- 
son, jr. 

COMMITTEES. 

" Committee to regulate trade," chosen in pursuance of the 
recommendation of the Legislature. 

June 1777. Hezekiah Hutchins, Bartholomew Heath, Timo- 
thy Goodwin, "William Moulton, Jesse Jolmson. 

Committee to provide for the families of soldiers from Hamp- 
stead in the annj : 

February, 1778. Thomas Wadlev, Benjamin Emerson, jr., 
Edmund Mooers. 

June 1778. Samuel Little, Abner Little, John Harriman. 

Committee to enlist soldiers. 

March 1778. Samuel Little, Abner Little John Harriman. 
June 1779. Edmund Mooers, Eliphalet Poor, Abner Rogers. 
July 1779. Hezekiah Hutchms, Moses Little. 
June 1780. Bartholomew Heath, Timothy Goodwin, Abner 
Little. 

February 1781. John Calfe, Job Kent, Moses Little. 
March 1781. John Calfe, Timothy Goodwin, Jantes Huse. 

" Committee for regulating the prices of sundry articles of 
trade and manufacture, and the produce of husbandry, &;c." 
raised in accordance with a recommendation from the town of 
Portsmouth. 

July 1779. Edmund Mooers, John Calfe, Wm. Moulton. 



SUPERINTENDING SCHOOL COMMITTEE.* 

1801. John Kellj, John Calfe, True KimbaU. 

1802. John Calfe, True Kimball, John True. 

1803. John Kelly, True Kimball, John Calfe. 

1809 to 1815. True KimbaU, John Kelly, John True. 

1815. Nathaniel Little, John Emerson, jr., John True. 

1816. John Kelly, True Kimball, James Knight. 

1817. John Kelly, Jeremiah Spofford, James Knight. 
1818 to 1821. John Kelly, Isaac Tewksbury, jr., John True. 

1821. Nathaniel Little, Samuel Smith, Jesse Gordon. 

1822. John Kelly, James Knight, John True, Isaac Tewks- 

bury. 

•The record of ihe School Coramittrea is veo' Inccmplcte. The above are all the 
names the records contain. 



7G 

1828. John Kellj, John True, Samuel Marshall. 

1824. John Kelly, Isaac Tewksbury, James Knight. 

1825. John Kelly, Samuel Morse, Isaac Tewksburj. 

1826. John Kelly, Samuel Marshall, Jesse Gordon. 

1827. John Kelly, James Calef, Isaac Tewksbury. 

1839. John M. C. Bartley, B. B. Bunker, Josiah C. Eastman. 
1842 to 1844. J. M. C. Bartley, Isaac Smith, Josiah C. 
Eastman. 

1844. J. M. C. Bartley, Isaac Tewksbury, A. B. Marshall. 

1845. J. M. C. Bartley, James Calef, Benj. B. Garland. 

1846. J. M. C. Bartley, A. B. Marshall, Caleb Moulton. 

1847. J. M. C. Bartley, A. B. Marshall, James Calef. 

1848. J. M. C. Bartley, Josiah C. Eastman, A. B. Marshall. 

1849. J. M. C. Bartley, Isaac Smith, Arthur AY. Marshall. 



RELIGIOrS. 

It is not known when the Congregational Society, (the only 
one in town that maintains regular preaching,) was formed ; 
probably soon after the first settlement of the town. In thd 
warrant for the first town meeting in 1749, articles were insert- 
ed for taking action upon the subject of repairing the Neto 
Meeting House, and for securing a minister. 

The Congregational Church was organized June 8d, 1752. 
The Articles of Faith adopted by the Church at that time, and 
the Coyenant, are substantially the same as those adopted bj 
Congregational Churches generally. They were drawn from 
what is called the Cambridge Platform. 

Their present house of worship was built in 1837, at an ex- 
pense of about three thousand dollars. 

The Church when first formed contained sLxty-eight members. 

The present number of commimicants is ninety-fiye ; males, 
thirty-five ; females, fifty-eight. 

The Pastors of the Church have been as follows : 

Rev. Hexry True, Ordained June 24th, 1752. Died May 
22d, 1782. 

Rev. John Kelly, Ordained December 5th, 1792. Dis- 
missed October 12th, 1836. 

Rev. John M. C. Bartley, Installed October 12th, 1836. 

The names of those who have filled the office of Deacon, are 
found in the hst of prominent men, on p. 35 of the address. 

The present officers of the Church are as follows : 

Rev. J. M. C. Bartley, Pastor, Installed Oct. 12th, 1836. 

Jonathan Kent, Beacon, Elected December 23d, 1824. 

JosmJA Eastman, " " November 24th, 1848. 



Other denumiuations in to^YIl have preaching occasionally, in 
the old meeting house, ])ut no other denomination is mimerouH 
enough to support preaching every Sabbath. 

Rev. Bexjamin B. Bunker was ordained over the Society 
of the Universalists, in 1838. He preaclied to them for two 
years, and then removed to New Market. Since that time they 
have had preaching only occasionally. All denominations gen- 
erally attend Rev. ]\Ir. Bartley's meeting. 



PROFESSIONAL. 

Rev. Mr. Kelly, in his " Sketch of ITampstead," says " the 
town has never sustained a lawyer." Isaiah P. Moody, Esq., 
of York, Maine, resided in the tomi a few years since, and was 
esteemed very highly. But becoming wearied with the prac- 
tice of the law, retired to his native town to engage in the more 
honorable and profitable vocation of farming. 

The Ph} sicians who have resided in this place are John Bond, 
his son John Bond jr., Samuel Flagg, Joshua Sawyer, James 
Knight, Jeremiah Spofford, Isaac Tewksbmy, Jerome Harris, 
M. D., and Josiah C. Eastman, M. D. 

" None of these were favored with a liberal education. Two 
or three others have had a transient residence here, but they 
are all," either dead or removed from the place, except Drs. 
Knight and Eastman. The latter is the practicing physician, 
resident in town. Dr. Knight has long been out of practice, 
and, though more than four score years old, 3'et retains in a 
remarkable degree, the strength and vigor of manhood. 

" Dr. Bond, senior, was an early member of the N. H. Med- 
ical Society, and was a very respectable and devout man ; and 
though feeble in health for many j^ears, he lived to be eighty-six 
years old, and died January 4th, 1804, in a happy frame of 
mind." 



Of those who were born, or brought uj) in this town, the fol- 
lowing have received a liberal education : 

AT IIAKVARD COLLEGE. 

James True, son of Rev. Henry True ; graduated in 1780. 
He occasionally preached. Died in 1795, aged 35 years. 

EzEKiEL Little ; graduated in 1784. He was for 20 years 
a teacher in Boston. He was the author of an Arithmetic. Died 
in Atkinson 183-, aged about 80 years. 

Jabez Kimball : graduated in 1797. lie was one year a 
tutor : studied Law, and practised at Haverhill, Mass. Died 
tliere March 19th, 1805, agc^d 3-3. 

n 



78 

Abner Rogers ; graduated in 1800. Attorney at Law in 
(Jharlestown, Mass. Died in February, 1814, aged 37. 

Robert Rogers ; graduated in 1802. For a long time a 
Merchant in France. In 1835 he was a resident in Boston. 

Edmund Tucker Eastman ; graduated in 1846. Student 
. of Medicine in Boston, Mass. 

AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE. 

Henry True, son of Rev. Henry True ; graduated In 1796. 
For many years a Minister of the Gospel in Union, Maine, where 
he still resides. 

Benjamin Dudley Emerson, son of Col. Benjamin Emer- 
son ; graduated in 1805. For many years teacher in New- 
buryport, and Boston. He is the author of the National Spel- 
ling Book and of Emerson's Reading Books. He resides now 
in Roxbury, Mass. 

Abner Emerson, brother of the preceding ; gi-aduated In 
1805. Died at Charlestown, Mass., December 1836, aged 51. 

Thomas Williams ; graduated in 1815. Physician at Can- 
andaigua, N. Y. Received also the degree of M. D. at Dart- 
mouth College. 

Henry True Kelly, son of Rev. John Kelly ; graduated 
in 1819. Minister at Madison, Geauga County, Ohio. Died 
at , in Canada, In 1843, aged about 40 years. 

Jonathan Knight Little ; graduated in 1823. Student 
of Medicine, and died young. 

Arthur Ward Marshall ; graduated In 1846. Teacher 
^t Valparaiso, Chih, S. A. 

Isaac Willlam Smith ; graduated in 1846. Student at 
Law, ii; Manchester, N. H. 

AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE. 

John Kelly, son of Rev. John Kelly ; graduated in 1825. 
Studied Medicine at the Medical College, in Fairfield, N. Y, 
Besides In Fultomille, N. Y. 

AT union COLLEGE. 

Francis Welch ; graduated in 1832. Ordamed a Minister 
at Brentwood, N. H., in December, 1833. Resides near East- 
port, Me. 

AT BROWN university. 

Joseph Smith ; gradu^ated In 1837. Ordamed at Woon- 
socket, R. I., September 27th, 1837, and continued there four 
years. Settled over the Baptist Church in Newport, R. I., near- 
ly nine years. Resides at present In Woonsocket, R. I. 

at college of new JERSEY. 

Elbridge Gerry Little ; graduated in 1845. Ordahied a 
^linibter over the Church in Manayunk, Pa., in 1848. 



19 

Jesse Brooks Davis; graduated m 1846. Ordained a 
Minister over the Church in Plattsburg, N.^SSC, in Nov. 1849. 



DISTEICT SCHOOLS. 

The number of Districts is seven. The amount of money 
appropriated in 1849, vras $492,33. The whole number of 
scholars attending was 203. The number of scholars in each 
district and the amount of money expended in each is as fol- 
lows : 
No. 



?f Dist. 


JVo. of /Scholars. 


Ami. 


of 3Ioney Expended. 


1 


23 




$84,28 


2 


53 




113,32 


3 


40 




59,53 


4 


38 




91,02 


6 


20 




41,98 


6 


12 




47,65 


7 


22 




54,55 



203 $492,33 

A Superintending School Committee, appointed annually, 
examine all the teachers, visit all the schools twice each term, 
and make a report at the annual meeting in March. 



MORTALITY. 

For the first eighteen years there is no record of deaths. 
For the next six years only a few are recorded. The full record 
commences in 1752. It was kept by Rev. Henry True, and 
was continued by his son John True, Esq., and by Rev. John 
Kelly to the close of the year 1846, and since then by Rev. J. 
M. C. Bartley. The whole number of deaths recorded, from 
1746 to Jan'y 1, 1849, is 1128. The greatest number of deaths 
was in 1756 and amounted to 30. In 1758, only 8 died : in 
in 1786, 1805 and 1807, only 5 each year, died ; in 1761, 4 
died ; in 1746, 1751 and 1783, only one died each year. The 
annual average number of deaths is 11 ; the proportion to the 
population is one in 81 annually. " The first person buried in 
the Centre Burial Place, was Mr. Hadley, drowned in the Island 
Pond." 

List of aged people who have lived and died in Hampstead, 
having arrived at the age of 90 years and upwards. 

Mr. Stephen Johnson, - - • - died in 1769 aged 91 
Widow Davis, ...-<< 1770 " 94 

Widow Sarah Emerson, - - " 1770 " 90 

Capt. Jona. Carlton, - - - " 1794 " 94 



80 



i)ea. Joseph iVencli, 
John Hogg, Esq., 
Widow of John Hogg, Esq. 
Widow Eleanor Copps, 
Mr. Samuel Johnson, 
Widow Mary Carlton, 
Widow Hannah Brown, - 
Widow Hannah Eastman, 
Widow Martha Webster, 
Mr. Samuel Kelly, 
Mr. John Atwood, 
Widow of Joshua Knight, 
Mr. Edmund Morse, - 
Widow Knight, 
Widow Quimbj, 
Widow Judith French, 
Capt. Wm. Marshall, - 
Widow Dorothy Cotton, - 
Miss Sarah Doller, 
Widow Sarah George, 
Widow of Joseph Webster, 
Dea. Job Kent, 
Widow Anne Knight, - 
.Daniel Little, Esq., - 



died in 1794 


aged 93 


a 


1795 


iL 


91 


li 


1796 


ii 


92 


li 


1801 


ii 


92 


a 


1801 


U 


90 


(( 


1803 


U 


90 


u 


1804 


a 


90 


a 


1806 


u 


91 


li 


1809 


(( 


97 


a 


1810 


a 


92 


<c 


1812 


a 


97 


a 


1812 


a 


91 


u 


1816 


a 


90 


u 


1816 


a 


90 


a 


1818 


a 


90 


a 


1822 


a 


90 


a 


1822 


a 


96 


a 


1826 


a 


96 


a 


1828 


a 


90 


a 


1830 


a 


97 


u 


1834 


u 


95 


a 


1837 


a 


94 


a 


1839 


a 


92 


a 


1841 


(( 


91 



OCCUPATIONS. 

" It would be expected, in a town so far from the sea-shore, 
and where the soil is so hard and rich, that the people would be 
chiefly farmers ; and so they are, much to their crecht, as good 
farmers as any in the State. And a farmer, when he is honest 
and benevolent, loving his God supremely and his neighbor as 
himself, is as much of a gentleman as any that can be found. 

" There are some other things done, however, besides farm- 
ing,"* There are 3 blacksmith shops, 1 corn mill, 2 saw^ mills, 
2 full stores of goods, besides 2 smaller ones ; about 100 shoe- 
makers, 10 carpenters, 10 wagon-makers and wheelwrights, 2 
liatter's shop, with 7 workmen ; and from 30,000 to 40,000 palm 
leaf hats are made every year by the people in town. 



EEVOLUTIOXARY AND OTHER STATISTICS. 

The following statistics were compiled from records in the 
office of the Secretary of State. More time bestowed upon 
this search would have rendered the names and foots more 
complete. The compiler was unable to devote but Uttle time' to 



* " f?ketch of ITampstead." 



81 

the search, and for most of tlie following he is indebted to the 
politeness and assistance of the Hon. Thomas P. Treadwell, 
Secretary of State. 

In the " Muster Roll of Company of Troops, Abraham Parry, 
Captain, in Col. Nath'l Meserve's Regiment raised for the Crown 
Point Expedition " in ITSO, is fomid the name of Thomas Crat- 
ford, jr., of Hampstead, private, enhsted ]\Iay 1st, and continued 
in the service till Oct. 24th. Son of Thomas Cratford. 

In Major John Goffe's Company, Meserve's Regiment, 

Jacob Savryer, private, enlisted May 1 ; left Nov. 9th, 1756. 

Andrew Stevens, private, enlisted May 1 ; left Oct. 22, 1756. 

In Samuel Watts' Company, Meserve's Regiment, the follow- 
ing persons were enrolled^ 4''hey enlisted in May, 1756, and 
were discharged in December of the same year. 

Seth Patte, Clerk, Jonathan Corliss, Sergcnt, Samuel Worth- cL 
en, James Philbrick, Simeon Stevens, Michael Johnson, Robert 
Johnson, Daniel Stephens or Stevens, Benjamin Heath, Osgood 
Eatton, Simeon Good\nn, David Hadley, Jos. Gove, Zebediah 
Heath, Josiah Heath, George Kezer, John Goodwm, Edmund 
Colljy. 

On other rolls of companies m the Old French War, the towns 
from which the soldiers came are not given. The preceding 
list, does not, therefore, probably contain the names of all those 
soldiers, who went from the town of Hampstead. 

The Census taken in 1775 discloses the fact, that at that time 
there were thirty-five soldiers in the Army of the Revolution, 
from the town of Hampstead. 

A brief search in the office of the Secretary of State discov- 
ered the names of the following soldiers from Hampstead. With- 
out doubt, the names of all the soldiers from this town might be 
found. 

The names are given Avithout any attention to priority or 
regularity of service. Jabez Brown, Thomas Mitchell, William 
Johnson, Samuel Davis, Wilham Heath — one year in 1778-9. 

John Davis, and James Heath, in Col. Mooney's Regiment. 

Richard Heath, John Perr}^ Jonathan Jcnness, Joseph Copp, 
Bradley Richards, Duncan Grant, Samuel Sargent, Enoch Hunt, 
Timothy Page, Robert Hastings, Micah Chapman, Page Towle, 

''" A Return of Soldiers in the N. H. Regiment, engaged bv 
the town of Hampstead, and are in the service for and during 
the war. 

Duncan Grant John Clark, William Heath, of Hampstead, 
and Samuel Davis of Goffstown. John Calfe, 

in behalf of the Selectmen of Hampstead. 

Hampstead, June 5th, 1781. 



82 



3 OF IIAMPSTEAD. 




644 


1810, 


- 738 


768 


1820, - 


- 751 


759 


1830, ; 


- 913 


724 


1840, - 


. 890 


790 







Similar returns, made at other times, contain many of the 
foregoing names. 



1767, 

1775, 
1783, 
1790, 
1800, 



TOPOGRAPHY. 

Hampstead is situated in lat. '^O^ 53^ N., long, 5° 48^ E. 
from Washington, containing 8350 acres of land, 400 of which 
are covered with water. Most of the town hes on the height of 
land between the Piscataqua and Merrimack rivers, and sends 
its waters S. W. from Wash pond and other parts, through 
Island Pond and Spiggot river, flowing into the Merrimack at 
Methuen, Mass. The Eastern part of the town forms one of the 
most Avestern sources of Exeter river. Some Httle part of the 
water goes South, through Little river to Haverhill Village, and 
a portion to Amesbury Mills through Powow river from Angly 
Pond. 

The town having been made up of fragments, is much out of 
square, having about thirty angles. It is bounded N. by San- 
down and Danville ; E. by the S. W. part of Kingston ; S. E. 
by Plaistow ; S. by Atkinson ; and W. by Derry. 

It is distant 30 miles South from Concord, N. H., 30 North 
East from Salem, Mass., 30 West from Portsmouth, 20 from 
the sea-shore at Hampton Beach, and 17 South East from 
Manchester. 



A 

REV. HENRY TRUe's LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE. 

Hampstead, Mat 13th, 1752, 
To the Inhabitants of the town of Hampstead : 

Gentlemen and fellow Christains : — You having invited me to 
settle with you in the worii of the Ministry, which I have taken intO' 
serious consideration, and earnestly sought to God for his Holy Spirit, to 
guide and direct me in such a great and important work, and in particu- 
lar in respect to my tarrying with you ; having, likewise, considered of 
the proposals you have offered for my support, and your unanimity in 
an especial manner, I find myself inclined to tarry with you. 1 cheer- 
fully accept your invitation, and comply with your proposals, promising 
to perform the duties on my part, as I shall be enabled ; depending 
upon God for divine help, and relying upon the promises of the exalted 
Redeemer ; being, as I trust, not insensible of my utter insufficiency for 
such an important work, as all my sufficiency and support must be from 
God. I would earnestly entreat yowr fervent prayers to God for me, 
that his grace may be mighty in me, and sufficient for me, that his 
strength may be perfected ; in my weakness, that he would give me 
divine wisdom, and skill, and succeed my endeavors to promote the 
kingdom and interest of Christ Jesus, that so I may not run in vain, 
neither labor in vain, and may at last give up my account to God, with 
joy and not with grief. 

HENRY TRUE. 

B 

REV. JOHN Kelly's letter of acceptance. 

To the Inhabitants of the town of Hampstead, in Town Meeting assembled : 
Whereas, you, the Church and Congregation in this place, being desti- 
(tute of a Gospel Minister, have been pleased to make choice of me to 
that office, I do cheerfully and cordially accept of your invitation ; being 
confident of your firm and mutual fidelity, and so trust you will ever re- 
cord me according to your present deliberate and unwavering afiec- 
tioUj so long as the same reason shall subsist, and that you will receive 
me as one having authority to tell you the truth, without offence, but 
.with all long suffering and patience; trusting that you will strive to- 



'84 

jjeUicr with me in your prayers to God, that I may obtain grace to be 
found fa,ithful, and so be a means of your advancement in Faith. 
From your affectionate servant in the Lord, 

JOHN KELLY. 
P. S. But, Gentlemen, as you are sensible that a fair and candid 
understanding between parties in making contracts, is the best preventive 
of disputes, and as there seems to be some obscurity in your second vote, 
inviting me to settle with you in the Ministry, I beg liberty to inform 
you, in a fair and candid manner, that I am led according to the nature 
of the thing, to understand, that by voting me the use and improvements 
of the Parsonage, you are determined to put into, and preserve the Par- 
sonage building in comfortable repair, for the use of a family. But if, 
Gentlemen, you understand the other, or a different light, you will be 
30 obliging, as to give me notice. 

Prom your most obedient and very humble servant, 

JOHN KELLY. 



The above letters of Mr. True and Mr. Kellj, are taken 
from the town records, being copied from the originals. It is 
evident, that the transcript was not correctly made. 



Jp.^ 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

nil 1111 1 II 



013 787 222 5 #, 



M^^- 



^" 













.y^ 



